One fan, then another, then another — this has been the trajectory for Byrdhouse.
Byrdhouse formed in 2020 and now has four members. Junior Garrett Podgorski is the guitarist, senior Thomas Lowe plays the drums, alumnus Ben Blaufarb (‘22) plays the bass and junior Josh Nash is the lead singer and keyboard player.
“We’re very new,” Podgorski said. “We literally just started, but things are kind of unraveling already for us — which is really cool.”
Throughout 2020, Nash and Podgorski became friends and started throwing around the idea of starting a band after both were pursuing music as a hobby. Soon after, they put those words into action.
“It was two of us writing songs, performing, posting on Instagram — stuff like that,” Nash said. “And eventually we were like, ‘Alright, we actually want to continue the band and form a bigger group.’”
They recruited Lowe as the drummer, and they most recently found Blaufarb while looking for a bass player.
“Thomas actually found Ben at the skate park,” Podgorski said.
Lowe said he was giving Blaufarb a ride, and Blaufarb saw drumsticks in the back of the car. This sparked conversation about music, and Blaufarb eventually revealed he played bass. Lowe then asked Blaufarb if he wanted to be a part of Byrdhouse, as he seemed to be a perfect fit to complete the band.
“I auditioned, and then I guess they liked me,” Blaufarb said.
The band released their first single, “King of Love,” in February 2022 and released their second single, “Left and Gone,” in April 2022.
They said their music quickly spread around Pepperdine’s campus, mainly by word of mouth and social media.
Podgorski said he was the one to come up with the name Byrdhouse after tossing around several other ideas, such as “The Grapes” and “Suitcase on an Island.” He said he originally thought the name was just going to be “The Birds,” but then thought of Byrdhouse — and it stuck.
“I just thought of it and was like, ‘That’s actually unique,’” Podgorski said. “I feel like it’s kind of like a young thing.”
After practicing and building chemistry with each other, the four had their debut performance at Lowe’s house.
“It was our first show,” Lowe said. “We thought maybe 10 people or 15 people would come — and we had probably 50 or so. It filled my house.”
While they said they love writing, practicing and recording their music, their favorite part is performing live and interacting with their audience.
During a performance, Podgorski said he gets excited just thinking about how far they have come.
“I’m just looking at Josh and I’ll be like, ‘This is the song I wrote,’” Podgorski said. “‘This is so cool.’”
One of their main goals of each show is to make sure the crowd is having fun and connecting with each other over a shared love for music.
“If the audience isn’t enjoying it, then you’re not enjoying it,” Nash said.
They said they love seeing the whole crowd listen, dance and sing along, but if their music makes a lasting impact on just one person, it is all worth it.
“Seeing other people enjoying our stuff is just really moving,” Nash said.
While the four band members each have unique talents within the band, they said they work together to complement each member’s individual skills while playing. They all said their favorite time to do this is during solos — when one person takes the spotlight and the other three get to supplement what they are playing through their instruments.
“When you do a solo, it’s almost like a piece of the band is missing,” Blaufarb said. “So you have to fill that piece in.”
The four said anyone who is considering starting their own band or making their own music should take a leap of faith.
“Byrdhouse has not always been perfect rainbows,” Podgorski said. “We’ve had to go through a lot of learning curves and ups and downs to get where we are.”
Byrdhouse continues to grow and promote their music in the LA area, with hopes of sharing music that tells stories and connects with people throughout the world.
“I don’t want to be cocky or anything, but I think that we’re all really talented,” Podgorski said. “I think that we definitely have a spot somewhere in the industry.”
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Email Abby Wilt: abby.wilt@pepperdine.edu.
Follow Currents Magazine on Twitter: @PeppCurrents and Instagram: @currentsmagazine
