Backyard Shed. What’s the first thing that comes to mind? Gardening supplies, power tools, odd ends of sports equipment? Well for senior Ethan Shmorak, it’s music. In a small room tucked in the corner of his backyard, Shmorack has created a music haven for his band. Mic stands, sound padding, guitars and a drum set, the space is the perfect setting for their “alt rock country” style. 

The beginnings of Sullivan Grace Band date back over 10 years ago when Shmorarck and lead singer Sullivan Grace met at the School of Rock music program.

“We met at this program, he was 7 and I was 9,” Grace said. “We reconnected during COVID and I asked him if he wanted to work on some music. That one gig turned into all of this.”

Since then they’ve added two new permanent members to their band: lead guitarist Rangaa Ringrose, and Oak Park alum Liam Curedale, their bassist.

The group plays both covers and originals. Some of their most recent songs are “minor crush” and “Hard for Me to Go.” The instrumentalists are in charge of music writing, but Shmorack noted that it’s not always easy to come up with original tunes.

“We’ve had the same 12 notes for the entire history of music so there is only a certain amount of permutations you can have,” Shmorack said. “I feel like nothing truly original. It’s more about taking what you like from different areas and mixing them in a way that sounds good to you.”

Grace takes a similar approach to the band’s lyric writing.

“Music has covered so many topics so it’s hard to write a unique story or idea,” Grace said. “But we try to tell these common topics in a different way. Instead of being about some big love story, our song “minor crush” talks about those small forgettable hallway crushes.”

In their 4 years, the band has found much success, booking gigs at locations like the Libbey Bowl, The Whiskey and the Agoura Country Club. At their latest gig, they performed as an opener for the Bacon Brothers and brought on 4 new people to join them onstage.

“For certain gigs we want to bring in more people based on the vibe and what we want to deliver,” Grace said. “For this particular gig we wanted a fuller sounding presence and the best way to do that was bringing on new people.”

Though constantly improving and growing, the band experiences its handful of roadblocks. Singer Grace attends Belmont University in Tennessee and can only fly in to practice a day before performances. With limited rehearsal opportunity, the band has developed a strategy that helps them maximize their practice.

“When Sullivan is at Belmont, we get a set list and do some instrumental rehearsals,” Shmorack said. “When she flies in we do one or two reherals with her right before the gig.”

With a decade of music experience, Shmorack has big plans for the future. 

“I want to go to Berklee music school, and after that I want music to be my career,” Shmorack said. “Not having to worry about a regular job would be the dream, and maybe playing at the forum too.” In addition to live performances and gigs, Sullivan Grace band uploads their music to Spotify and Youtube. Right now, their song Minor Crush is out on all platforms. You can also check them out on Instagram.