The Daily Gamecock

Long time locals find new sound

One of Columbia’s newest bands, ET Anderson, will release their debut album “Et Tu, ___?” via Soundcloud on Tuesday. The album title, inspired by Caesar’s line in Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar,” invites listeners to fill in the blank as they choose. The band will play their album release show this Friday at New Brookland Tavern.

ET Anderson’s style, a blend of garage rock and psychedelic '60s nostalgia, is rather unique to Columbia’s music scene. Formed two months ago, they have played at the Jam Room Music Festival, Arts and Draughts, and multiple house shows around the city. 

 Tyler Morris, the band’s creator and frontman, has played in bands around the Southeast such as Octopus Jones and Calculator. Morris is originally from Columbia, but he claims the band has multiple homes in the Carolinas. 

“I wrote the album in Raleigh, we recorded everything in Charleston, and we all live in Columbia,” Morris said.  

The members met through assorted musical ventures and have maintained friendships throughout the years. Michael Crawford, drummer, met Morris when they were 19 years old and have been playing together ever since. Bobby Hatfield, pianist, was also a lead singer for Sea Wolf Mutiny. Alex McCollum, guitarist and member of Stagbriar, met Morris through work at Papa Jazz Record Shoppe and their friendship began. John Fowler, bassist for ET Anderson and Small Sanctions, met Morris through the Columbia community. 

“I don’t think many music scenes compare to Columbia, South Carolina,” said Morris. “I feel like there is a lot of story and history in everybody’s music around here. I feel like there is a community to all of the music scene.” 

Morris said that the band’s name is derived from one of his favorite directors, P.T. Anderson. Morris’s own style of writing and musical composition is heavily influenced by Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear and Connan Mockasin’s soft, hazy album, “Forever Dolphin Love.” ET Anderson’s upcoming album demonstrates its own qualities of dreamy delicacy.

 “The album has taken on a completely different life of its own,” Morris said. “The album is really kind of held back a little bit energywise. I feel like sometimes people don’t want to listen to music turned up to 11 all the time. It complements the subtle parts very well. When live, we can get pretty loud.”

ET Anderson is on Charleston’s independent record label, Hearts and Plugs. Morris said that Dan McCurry, founder and director of Hearts and Plug, has offered him major support and plenty of encouragement on this project. 

“I feel like with this project we could actually do something. We get a lot of great feedback,” he said. “How fast everything has come around, we have only technically been a band for two months. And we’ve played the biggest shows I’ve ever played as a musician and had a lot of great people help us out around us.”

Morris said that “Et tu, __?” has been described as maintaining a consistent duality between “sweet and sarcastic or honest and arrogant.” While each song treads heavily, the individual pieces assemble together to reflect the band’s stylistic diversity.

“Our show is a place where people can be or do anything that they want,” Morris said. “We cannot judge because I don’t think any of us are in our right minds whenever we play.”

ET Anderson’s album release show is at 8 p.m. this Friday at New Brookland Tavern. They will be playing with Elim Bolt, Semicircle and Grace Joyner. Morris said that on Friday night the album is “gonna be heard the way it’s meant to be for the first time.”


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