On Jan. 31, the Big Rapids band, The Lazy Suzan, took the stage at The Backroom alongside several individual artists.
Approximately 30 people attended the show, to watch band members Jackson Lee, Rick Coates and Brayden Sandstedt. The band described their music as rock, alternative, indie and grunge.
Band member Coates explained his hope for how people perceive the band.
“I think that people are really going to like how it sounds because we’ve worked really hard on it,” Coates said. “The results are definitely going to speak for themselves.”
The Lazy Suzan has performed at places all around Big Rapids, starting at apartments and expanding beyond.
“I think we are all in agreement that we’re now at the point where we feel comfortable and we have the ability, and the material, to play longer sets, whereas earlier it was more so kind of like a party vibe, and now it’s like, okay we can actually play at bars,” Coates said.
Getting their own practice space has been beneficial to the band. Going from playing out of an apartment to having their own house to practice in has helped them grow as artists greatly.
One thing The Lazy Suzan wants everyone to know is that they are available.
“We are prepared to set up wherever the space can accommodate. If there’s electricity in the space, we can play anywhere, anytime. Any opportunity, we will jump on it, and we will rock, for sure,” Coates said.
The Lazy Suzan also noted that the Ferris music entertainment business program has been a great help to them. They help them accomplish performances and make connections. The group also expressed that they would like to play at The Backrooms as many times as they can, and the relationship is there. The Lazy Suzan appreciates all the support they get.
“For what it’s worth, even the Instagram follow, the likes, the reshares, it means a lot, and you know, it’s definitely helping us accomplish our goals,” Coates said.
Music and entertainment business sophomore ToShiro Johnson was one of the featured artists. Reflecting on his program choice, Johnson shared that meeting the program director solidified his decision to pursue this particular course.
“It really made me feel like I could achieve my dreams that felt like just a passion, but also have some weight behind it with a degree, with connections,” said Johnson.
Identifying himself as a neo-soul rapper, Johnson explained that compared to regular rap, neo-soul rap is “a lot smoother.”
He also revealed that one of his favorite artists, who inspires him, is Kendrick Lamar. Johnson credits his family as the driving force behind his musical journey. He elaborated on the diverse musical influences within his family.
“It was all different parts of my family, my grandma with Earth, Wind, and Fire, always playing the best hits,” Johnson said. “My mom with all her Mary J. Blige in the house, singing all day; my dad with Jay-Z; my nieces and nephews playing whatever was trending at the time. So, I always got the full view of everything that was going on.”
Looking ahead, Johnson aspires that his degree will eventually lead him to a label or even enable him to start his own. He hopes to “change the scope of music” and anticipates becoming “the next star that can hold weight across generations.” Regarding previous shows, Johnson mentioned having performed in Big Rapids, both on and off-campus. He expressed a keen interest in the prospect of being invited back to The Backrooms.
The Backrooms and Toppings owner Shawna Conley shared her thoughts about the event.
“I think it’s awesome, and I’m really glad that we are able to bring students into town and into the community, and the turnout has been really great the few times that we have had this event,” Conley said.
Conley also noted that she would love to do more events with Ferris and have more shows like this one.
In addition to hoping to return to The Backrooms, Coates reflected on the upcoming release of their debut album.
“We’re really excited to release music for the first time, and we’ve written a lot of different songs.,” Coates said. “We’ve played a lot of our songs live in our sets, and we kind of tend to do a lot of covers, a lot of originals. But now for the first time, we’re actually going to have professionally recorded originals that people can listen to on all streaming platforms. I think that’s the first step to kind of leveling up.”
Look out for their upcoming album release and follow their journey as a band on Instagram, @thelazysuzan.