Artist Spotlight: Southernmost Gravy [Interview]

It’s safe to say most of us didn’t have a band and a discography on Spotify under our belt by the time we entered our senior year of high school. But for the members of Southernmost Gravy, who are based throughout the Greater Salt Lake Area (Draper, Orem, Provo, Farmington), it’s just become part of their routine. Breakfast, class, recording session, lunch, class, band practice, class, dinner, sold-out show, repeat.

Volume chatted with Ben Adams, who plays the synthesizer/piano and produces for the band, about their origin story, current projects, and artistic aspirations.

Name: Southernmost Gravy

Hometown: In and around Salt Lake County, UT

Members: Ben Adams (synths/keys/production), Tate Storey (guitar), Jonny Masters (guitar) Tyson Shepherd (bass), Mikey Lacopucci (drums)

Genre: EDM/Rock

Fun Fact: “None of us really listen to EDM music ourselves, it’s not really our genre of choice. We mostly listen to ’80s and ’90s rock music, but it’s the genre we like playing. Another is that we have an alien in our band. We dress up one of our friends who used to be in the band and he’ll come out on stage from time to time.”

How’d the band and its name come to be?

“Honestly my friend and I just came home from school one day and wanted to start a band so we used an online random word generator to come up with two words, we put them together and got Southernmost Gravy.”

How have you found it breaking into Utah’s music scene 1) at such a difficult time for musicians and artists everywhere and 2) at such a young age?

“We got started in January of 202o so kind of right when COVID happened. It was definitely really hard, but we’ve met a bunch of cool people that we’ve played with and who’ve helped us out. We also try to have a big social media presence to reach more people. We’ve been playing shows each month now since November 2021. It’s been fun to be back.”

… (as far as our age goes) we’re all over the place, a couple of us are in high school and the rest are college-aged. But again we’ve just had great artists who know what they’re doing to look up to.”

Who are some of the band’s biggest musical influences?

“I’d say AJR. They’re kind of a pop-dance group. In our songs, we use a lot of interesting and weird sounds that we learned how to use from them. And on the other side of things, I think the Beach Boys have definitely had a big influence on us as far as the style of producing they do. In a way, it’s similar to us.”

Who is the biggest jokester in the band?

“Jonny, 100%, no questions. He’s just the coolest, funniest person.”

Who is most likely to be late to practice?

“Also Jonny! We had a show about a month ago and he showed up about a minute before we went on.”

Who is the most likely to trip on stage?

“That’d probably be me or Jonny…We jump around a lot on stage.”

What previous albums and releases do you currently have out? 

“Hi” – 2020
“Style” – 2021
“Southernmost” – 2021
“Enter Text Here” – 2021
“A New Day” – 2021
“Get Low” – 2021
“Welcome To The Show” – 2021
“On My Mind” – 2022
“Together” – 2022

What current projects and new releases are in the works? 

“We’re trying to finish up a small, four-song EP that we’ll hopefully release in July. We’re super excited for that one. We’re also trying to get a bunch of Utah-based artists together to do a big song. We’ve talked to James The Mormon and are just figuring out logistics at this point.”

Where can we see you play next?

Utah Arts Festival at Library Square in Downtown Salt Lake City on June 26th.

What is the band’s most memorable show thus far and why?

“Our last show was at Kilby Court. It was a sold-out show and the energy that we had was just unmatchable. A lot of our friends showed up and I think we played pretty well. It was the most fun we’ve had on stage.”

Where is a dream venue the band would love to play at one day?

Salt Lake City’s biggest indoor venue – Vivint Smart Home Arena

What do you want fans to feel when they listen to your music?

“Just happy no matter the day you’re having. We try to make music that’s light and upbeat and just makes people want to dance.”

Tickets to Southernmost Gravy’s show at the Utah Arts Festival can be found here. For more information on Southernmost Gravy, follow the band on socials below. Check out all of Volume‘s previous artist spotlights here.