Photo by Cat Young
Recently, I had the chance to chat with Palm Bodies, a Pittsburgh-based DIY band that's making their way in the music world. The band consists of Noah Seese (lead vocals), Riley Rosier (lead guitar), Tucker Muetzel (bass), and Joe Walsh (percussion).
Hey guys! Thanks for letting me ask a couple of questions today about your band!
Noah: Of course! Our pleasure!
So how did you guys create Palm Bodies?
Noah: Riley and I met when I was looking to form a band in 2018. We got together with two other friends and started jamming. That’s really how Riley and I got comfortable with each other and started writing and sharing our similarities of sounds and aesthetics we loved. Eventually, our style evolved more and we wanted to get serious about being in a band, so we started Palm Bodies. We asked Tucker and Joe shortly after to join us.
Has music always been a big part of your lives?
Tucker: Yeah, I think all of us see it as more than just a hobby. I know that Riley and Joe are both going to school for it, and Noah and I are planning on making careers out of it later down the road.
Who/what has inspired the music you’ve created?
Riley: We all have very big inspirations that scatter across all genres. For me, I love Allen Stone and Stevie Wonder.
Noah: I love DIY type venues and art/artists. One of my favorites is The Happy Children, which has led me to liking some more punk stuff, like Remo Drive.
Tucker: From a technical standpoint, jazz has influenced all of our playing and writing in some way. That’s one of the common denominators that influences us.
Riley: “Pennies in Heaven (Macaroni).”
Noah: Yeah, that’s super correct.
How would you describe your music to readers?
Noah: We usually generalize ourselves as indie rock or punk, as we fluctuate a lot. It’s also technically influenced the roles we play in the band, as we all went to a performing arts school. I’d like to come up with something more crafty than “indie bock” eventually (laughs).
Tucker: "[I explain it as] lush indie pop with some punk rock grit.
What can you tell us about your new single “Portugal” that you recently released?
Tucker: The bass line is fire (laughs). Sorry, I couldn’t help it.
Noah: Joe is (a) percussion god.
Riley: I think “Portugal” blends elements of funk and a harsh rock sound to give into something unique of its own.
Noah: Yeah. We also took some time to experiment in the studio, expanding our ideas and enhancing our music “flavor” (laughs).
Who are your personal favorite bands and solo musicians?
Tucker: We all dig Hippo Campus.
Noah: Agreed. Peach Pit is also pretty sick too.
Riley: I’m definitely the odd ball out. My favorite bands consist of writers like Gabe Bondoc and Lawrence, which are both inherently soul-grooved. But we all love Hozier!
Joe: Some of my favorites/infleunces would be Ben Folds, Childish Japes, Dirty Loops, and Porcupine Tree.
Are there any local bands from the Pittsburgh area that you recommend?
Noah: Wild Blue Yonder, Mellowphobia, and Dopamine (he’s our boy). I also really dig All Birds Are Bad.
Tucker: Being a huge fan of folk music, I gotta shout out Rev. Ezra and the Lone Pines. Their lead singer also plays bass for an awesome rock band called Single Joe.
Joe: Another local Pittsburgh band I would recommend is Beauty Slap.
Where do you hope to see Palm Bodies in the future?
Noah: [I hope we get] to the point of influencing [someone] in some positive ways, and musicians to the point that they mention as inspiration, like we did for our faves. [Going on] tour and [playing] music festivals would be rad too.
Tucker: We're definitely interested in growing a strong fan base in Pittsburgh and surrounding cities in Ohio and West Virginia, as a next step in the coming years.
Noah: Heckin’ yeah.
Joe: In the future, I hope that we can establish a strong network with other musicians both in the Pittsburgh Area and beyond.
How can listeners help support your band right now?
Noah: Streaming our music on Spotify and other platforms is always great.
Tucker: Shoutouts on social media go a long way as well.
Riley: Buy our awesome merch! It really shows Noah’s media student roots.
Noah: Yeah. Checking out our Instagram is cool too. We're trying to interact as much as possible on social media.
Keep up with Palm Bodies!
Words by Lily.
