by Maddy Bacon~
Klio is back for Fall 2018 and has new content we know our readers will enjoy. For this edition, Klio is proud to be accepting music submissions; artists can submit their work with some background information regarding their art and musical experiences that will be published for listeners to connect with the artists. Music that is linked to SoundCloud will be featured on our “Music We Love” playlist on the Klio website.
It took an Instagram direct message to Danny and we were in business. I met with the guys of Grapefruit Cannonball earlier this month in the HUB.
Origins
They met over a decade ago in their small town of Towanda, Pennsylvania, which they described as having a nonexistent music scene– despite this, they were all interested in music at a young age. Danny Wilhelm needed an extracurricular activity and Jorden Isbell’s brother inspired him to play drums. Josh Morgan, Jorden, and Danny all shared the same guitar teacher, too. They cite Green Day and The Beatles as their biggest musical influences. It shines through–at first listen, their song “Hate” reminded me of a Green Day song, and I was impressed.
Josh described the first time they played together: “It was a very crisp spring day.” They played “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC and realized the joy of playing together, going as far to describe the feeling as a “natural high” (they even considered naming the band Natural High). They took their band to the next level and became official in junior high. They started off with simple equipment, and Jorden affectionately referred to the old drum kit as “the pots and pans”- these have since been retired, as the band engages in a “self-funded cycle.” Any earnings they receive from gigs are put right back into the band.
Some of their first few performances together included a rodeo and a Battle of the Bands that they were unaware of until Josh’s dad told them about it. Placing second in Battle of the Bands in ninth grade–they won the same competition two years later–got them subsequent gigs they needed to gain exposure.
In their junior year of high school, the trio shared the same pre-calculus teacher who would discuss bands and the best albums with them every class period. He went to their shows and took an interest in the band, so they popped the question, and now he’s their manager.
Rising
Danny emphasized that adding a manager to their team “opened a huge door” for them because they would have someone to run the soundboard and work on a light show.
Throughout the years they have played all over Pennsylvania. This past summer, they played in Towanda, Allentown, Harrisburg in Pennsylvania and Owego in New York. Securing gigs has a lot to do with word of mouth and venue politics. Danny described the situation as, “if you’re not playing for the [venue’s] competition, you’re in.”
One of the most important questions I asked in the time I spent with them was a difficult one, but the main inspiration for adding music to Klio: what has music done for you internally?
Jorden (drums, guitar, vocals) described playing music as a “euphoric experience, and a big creative outlet to take your mind off anything.”
For Josh (guitar, vocals, keyboard/piano), “if I don’t listen to music, if I don’t play music, I feel a little empty.”
Danny (bass) develops an “internal joy” from music and explained that anytime he performs he has a blast, and it’s visible for all to see.
Present
Here at Penn State, Jorden is majoring in Industrial Engineering, Josh is a Music major with an option in Music Technology, and Danny is majoring in English. The group of third year students is staying busy as they balance course work and extracurriculars.
The group is “pushing for the arts in their hometown,” Danny told me. They are working on networking and immersing their band into the State College music scene, hoping to get involved with Movin’ On or THON at some point.
Grapefruit Cannonball is currently working on some new music, as they feel their debut album Idol is more representative of their high school skill set. Their abilities, equipment, and influences have grown since then, and they would like to show that off. Throughout the years they have expanded their list of favorite artists which now includes Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Arctic Monkeys, and Cage the Elephant.
If it weren’t for that Battle of the Bands years ago, Grapefruit Cannonball probably would not have gone down the same successful path that has gotten them to where they are now.
Check out Grapefruit Cannonball’s website for more information.
Listen to their music on SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or Amazon Music.
All photos are from Grapefruit Cannonball’s Facebook Page and grapefruitcannonball.com.