Pictured above: (Left to right) Jack Clements, K Sahagian, Eric Yoder and Brendon Porter make up USF alumni band, Speak Easy.
Courtesy of Speak Easy
By Aubrey Carr
Since its 2017 formation, indie band Speak Easy has quickly become a staple of the St. Petersburg music scene.
The band is made up of four USF alumni: Jack Clements, K Sahagian, Eric Yoder and Brendon Porter.
Speak Easy describes itself as a folk-derivative group with a focus on “songwriting, harmonies and positivity.”
On Sept. 10 the four-member group released their newest single, “Ain’t No Need to Wonder.”
The song is the first of a planned series of four interconnected songs and music videos. Each part meant to represent the lives of working musicians.
Sahagian, the band’s keyboard player, said the song differs from the band’s previous work.
“The song is a lot more danceable and probably the most pop song we’ve done to date,” Sahagian said in an email to The Crow’s Nest.
Sahagian’s sentiment is one that resonates throughout “Ain’t No Need to Wonder,” accentuated by the single’s smooth drums and upbeat vocals.
The song’s creation was a team effort, with all four members of the band working towards its release. “Brendon (bass) had made the instrumental as a demo and I laid a melody and a verse over it. My idea was that each of us would take a verse on the song,” Sahagian said.
The vocal variation works to the song’s benefit, keeping the song fresh while adding to the overall excitement of the music.
Additionally, Sahagian mentioned the single had an element of experimentation to it.
“We were all sitting around listening to the demo at Brendon’s apartment and Eric made his verse on the spot and did a vocal take that ended up being used as the final vocals for his verse and chorus,” Sahagian said.
Though the impact of COVID-19 is still felt among St. Petersburg’s indie music scene, the pandemic did little to stop the release of “Ain’t No Need to Wonder.” Porter said COVID-19 didn’t impact the single nearly as much as past releases from Speak Easy.
The band celebrated its new release with a concert performance featuring fellow local artists, Katara and Matcha, an event that was not possible for previous launches.
“Ain’t No Need to Wonder” is available now on all streaming services. You can keep up with the band by following its Instagram page: @speakeasyisaband.
