Small Crush is living the high school indie dream

Small Crush formed when lead-singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist Logan Hammon (age 17, pink hair — now eggshell blue) felt that her band wasn’t giving her enough freedom to write her own songs. She took lead-guitarist Jackson Felton (now age 15) and started a new project out of their garage. The duo, what was to become Small Crush, started making music inspired from Hammon’s voice memos (shared over group text) and titled from a self-professed “inability to crush on someone for a long time, so lots of little crushes.” Not long after the band’s genesis, Hammon and Felton recruited bassist Hank Herbert (aged 17) and drummer Will Scherer (aged 16) from a nearby high school and started playing house shows, coffee shops, and restaurants. The group is multitalented, often switching instruments at practice, and the effect of Hammond’s virtuosic lyrical introversion over playful riffs evokes Frankie Cosmos and Waxahatchee. The music seems to be derived from many small crushes, evoking a sincere and intense conviction too often lost in adulthood.

Planning around after school jobs and football practice, The B-Side caught up with the band at Hammon’s house in San Leandro. They pulled up sipping cans of yerba mate with skateboards and a giant teddybear in the the back of Herbert’s CRV.

An unlikely cohesion of seemingly different high school “types,” it became quickly evident that their connection extended beyond the stage. They proceeded to sing along to blaring 80’s synth-pop in the car (when they said it was their favorite music, I wasn’t sure they were kidding) and naturally-athletic Herbert was carrying 15-year-old Felton on his shoulders before we had time to change the first roll of film. The band concluded our phone interview by playing a completely ad-libbed song.

This October Small Crush will be releasing a studio EP and playing for their second time at Berkeley’s historic 924 Gilman. Read the interview below:

B-Side: What’s the songwriting process like?

Logan: I mostly write all the songs and give them the lay down.

Will: It usually starts with a voice memo [from Logan’s phone].

Logan: And me sending it in the group text…And House Party (which is a four way video chat).

B-Side: The band has been active on Instagram for a while now.

Logan: Instagram has helped a lot with meeting people and connecting. It’s so easy to DM people to do shows. Email, Bandcamp for sure, and we are starting a website soon.

Hank: Most of our newest fans have come from playing with other bands. As we’ve branched out and started playing with bands in Sacramento and the East Bay like Mt. Eddy, and Destroy Boy.

B-Side: So who was the outright hero of the 80’s?

Will: Molly Ringwald

Logan: Debbie Harry

Jackson: Prince

Hank: Arnold Schwarzenegger

B-Side: Describe your style in a few words

Jackson: I’ve been called mysterious from a lot of kids at school. And I’m kind of a…

Will (interrupting): —heroin addict!

Logan: —white boy

Jackson: …Meme, but in a good way.

Will: Summer camp, going for a hike.

Hank: Middle-aged white guy.

All (shout): Oakland! Edgy!

Logan: Middle school band student.

B-Side: So, where do each of yourself in 5 years.

Will (jokes): A dirty white dude that is also a master drummer.

Jackson: Graduating high school. Still pursuing music.

Logan: Still pursuing music, hopefully touring with this band.

Will: I’m not sure yet about doing sports in college, but then again I still have time.

Hank: Going to a good school (he is graduating this year, but has not heard back yet from colleges), and then opening a combined bagel, music and flower shop.

 

Photos and article by John Lawson

Photo assisting and styling by Lieyah Dagan