The Backseat Lovers are a rising band based out of Heber City – and one to definitely keep your eyes on. Within two months, they have already made impressive achievements. The band members have released “Elevator Days”, their indie rock EP twinged with the right mix of folk. This June, they won the Velour’s Battle of the Bands.
Last summer, lead singer Josh Harmon and guitarist Jonas Swanson were in line for the Velour Open Mic Night. Almost as if it was fate, they were cut off before their chance to go on. They made the most of the situation and played songs for each other. Harmon invited him to play with himself and drummer “Juice” Welch, who he had been jamming with. Swanson later invited bassist Ethan Christensen to join the group.
The band only practiced a couple times that summer. It wasn’t until two months before the Velour hosted their 2018 summer Battle of the Bands that they came together and began playing more seriously.
It was their first live show, and the band’s chemistry was a large part of their success, according to Harmon. Harmon related that it’s important to connect as music and people, and The Backseat Lovers are lucky to have that.
He also said that the experience of performing live and connecting with the crowd is a huge aspect for The Backseat Lovers.
“You can see people’s truest form…It creates an environment for people where they can be safe being themselves. That’s really special to us, we like that we can do that while having the time of our lives,” Harmon said.
The band members have had musical experience beginning in their teen years. Starting at age 14, Drummer Welch began playing on the game Rockband, and went from there to playing in actual bands. He started taking classes and joined drumline and jazz band when he realized he was passionate about drums. Welch said that the band is influenced by artists like Cage the Elephant, Peach Pit, Pine Grove and local artist Desert Noises
“I had this huge dream of just playing in a band. Two of my dreams were to play at Velour and Kilby Court. Keep practicing, having fun, and you’ll find yourself fulfilling your dreams,” Welch said.
Harmon grew up in a musical family, with his whole family singing and his father being a singer-songwriter. He grew up listening to country and blues, which influenced his guitar playing style when he picked it up at 13.
Moving forward, they will be playing on August 10th at Kilby Court and a handful of shows in September. The band is planning to begin recording an independent record early this August. It will show a new side of them and showcase who they are as a band and how they’ve progressed in a short amount of time. They will continue to play in venues in Utah, and hope to venture out to other states. Next spring, they plan to move in together to focus on writing a full-length album.
