“Everything depends on the crowd,” said Nate Henry, lead vocalist of Sherwood. “If the crowd is loving it, they give us so much energy, and our performance is just fun.”
Formed at an open mike night at Cal Poly, San Louis Obispo, Sherwood has gained an almost cult-like following with teenagers around the country. Their up-tempo, onstage attitude is telling as to what kind of band they are. Before their last song, Henry asked the audience to “take at least two minutes out of their daily lives for a dance party.” The song then proceeded to take the form of a dance party as keyboardist Mike Leibovich rocked around the stage, jumped onto the bass drum, and led the crowd in rhythmic shouts.
“Their lyrics really relate to things I’ve been through,” one fan noted at Thursday’s concert. “It’s not mainstream. It’s different—something you can move to.” The praise of the band’s unique sound and their moving lyrics was a common thread in the fans’ reactions that night.
Asked to describe the band in one word, Henry accurately answered “approachable.” Demonstrating this, the band mingled with any and all fans who wanted to meet them after their set, signing albums and T-shirts. “The band is very personal ... each member has their own personality and as a fan you really get to know them,” explained another fan after having a five-minute conversation with guitarist Dan Koch.
Having been together only five years, Sherwood has unusual insight for a band so young, noting the difficulty and boredom that can come with touring. “Sometimes you just get burned out and tired and you just need that crowd to get you back up,” Henry said.
Having recently signed with MySpace Records, Sherwood relies almost entirely on word of mouth and MySpace profile links to promote their music. “I heard about them from my friend in Florida,” one fan said. “I heard a song on one of my friends’ MySpace profiles and it was love at first ... listen,” another enthusiastic face in the crowd explained.
Even after signing with a label, Sherwood has continued the old-school self-promotion tactics they began with. They continue to book tours themselves, and are even known to go to local malls and sell albums between shows while touring.
The band released their second full-length album, A Different Light, this spring. Fans, however, saw the album no differently than their previous album, and responded enthusiastically. With its creative melodies and unique and meaningful lyrics, Sherwood claims the goal of their albums is to connect to their fans on a personal level, and work up from there. With such a strong focus on their fans, it is no wonder the band’s do-it-yourself attitude has worked so well.