By: NICOLE HASSINGER
Staff Writer
@HassingerNicole
The crowd filed into the bar around ten at night. They knew what to expect, and it wasn’t silence from The Quiet Things. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the band took the stage at McCormick’s located downtown in South Bend for a performance. Despite their name, The Quiet Things had some things to vocalize.
The Quiet Things are Mikey Trix, drummer, and Tiemen Godwaldt, guitarist and vocalist. Trix and Godwaldt made time to talk to me before their performance about their beginnings, musical interests, venue preferences and their future as a band.
Godwaldt described their genre as “acoustic dance-punk.” They bring energy to the stage unlike many performers I have seen. They perform, joke and dance around the stage during their set. Toward the end of the performance, Godwaldt dedicated their song “I Don’t Like You” to Donald Trump and got roars from the crowd.
Both members of The Quiet Things share pop-punk as a musical influence. Trix named bands like Taking Back Sunday and Blink-182 as his biggest influences. Godwaldt said his were Brand New and Bright Eyes.
The Quiet Things said McCormick’s is their favorite place to perform in South Bend. The Quiet Things got their start at McCormick’s weekly open mic nights and later began performing at other venues in the area.
Godwaldt said crowds in South Bend are electric. The crowds start small, but once a fan base is started, they are loyal to the music.
A lack of venues in South Bend, The Quiet Things explained, ultimately means they perform at the same places frequently. They wouldn’t mind having more venue options, but they are also grateful for the ones they currently have.
The most memorable show The Quiet Things have ever played was pretty far from home. Trix’s face lit up when he talked about that performance.
“The Barn show in Earlville, N.Y. was the best. The venue was DIY style, and it was all punk rockers. Forty people showed up and destroyed the place,” he said.
Godwaldt started playing music around the age of 12 when he asked for a guitar and notebook for Christmas. He later turned to penning songs about the girls he encountered, including the girl who became his muse for his initial songwriting.
Trix plays seven instruments, previously performed in orchestras and has been involved with music for several years.
The Quiet Things believe what separates their music from others in the area is their impressive stage energy and the fact that there aren’t many punk rock duos in the area.
In the future, The Quiet Things plan on expanding by touring more frequently, releasing a full-length album and selling merchandise to fund these ventures.
