by Madeline Hager
A new band is making its way around Columbia, and it started right here at USC: The Third Floor,
As you might have guessed, its name came from the four members who lived on the third floor of the Capstone House dorms their freshman year. Since then, they have played at countless venues around Columbia and grabbed many USC students' attention.
Sophomore Gianna Vancura, who also lived in Capstone House her freshman year, loves The Third Floor and frequently attends their shows.
"They're very good and have such good energy on stage," Vancura said.
It all started when Ryan Pellat, one of the lead guitarists and singers, got a new roommate, Nick Guzman. When Pellat learned that Guzman shared his passion for music, Guzman became a singer, guitarist and pianist for the band.
Logan Cory, the band's drummer, and Neal Goldberg, the band's bassist, were the next two members to join.
"Our drummer was next door on the right, I was next door on the left, and it all kind of worked out," Goldberg said.
"We had a collective music space that was very music-friendly," Pellat said.
Pellat has been playing guitar for the past five years, but other members of the band haven't always been playing as long. At least this is the case for Goldberg, the band's bassist. While Goldberg has a musical background, he started playing the bass a year and a half ago. When Pellat, Cory and Guzman were looking for a bassist, they had no luck.
According to Goldberg, one day, Guzman said, "Man, I'd be able to sit down with someone for an hour and teach them how to play bass."
So, Goldberg took that opportunity, said, "I'll do it," and became the bassist for The Third Floor.
From there, the band worked to start learning songs and trying to book gigs. Their first gig was a Battle of the Bands, but according to Pellat, they didn't count it because it was a Monday afternoon, and only two people showed up.
However, the band's first real gig was Jan. 28 at Southern Belly BBQ. At the time, the band only knew four songs. Two of these were by The Backseat Lovers, one of the band's inspirations, according to Pellat.
"We busted our asses trying to get a 12-song setlist, and we did it. It was very rewarding. A lot of people showed up to support us, and it was very fun," Pellat said.
While their first gig was good, it was challenging for The Third Floor to get bookings.
"You reach out to people, and it's just a string of no response," Pellat said.
On the other hand, when the band does get bookings, they play at venues such as New Brookland Tavern, Jake's Bar and Grill, and Columbia Craft Brewery.
Their favorite gig they've ever played was a tailgate before the Tennessee vs. South Carolina football game. A father booked the band to celebrate his graduating daughter's last football game.
According to Pellat and Goldberg, "The energy was phenomenal; it was a really good feeling because you don't always know how you sound."
The father even went as far as to pay the band extra to keep playing longer than they were supposed to. This really boosted the band's spirits and showed just how big of an impact a band that started in a college dorm room can have.
A lot of the music the band plays is indie and classic rock, and while the band plays some of their originals, they also perform lots of covers at their concerts. Most of their inspirations and covers come from the Beatles, John Mayer, and Jimi Hendrix.
Members Ryan Pellat and Nick Guzman write their originals. One new song that Pellat has been working on is called Josie. According to Pellat, it's a rock ballad that he has been working on for over two and a half years now. Pellat wrote a riff that he thought would sound cool, and just over winter break, he figured out the lyrics and meaning of the song. Finally, after hours of practice, the band played it live for the first time on Friday, Feb. 3, at Columbia Craft Brewery.
The Third Floor also already has two original songs, 'Not Worth the Time' and 'Rum and Coke,' which you can stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
The band continues to play around Columbia, and while the future of the band may be unsure, according to Goldberg, "The goal is for us to be playing music together after college."
For Pellat, "I know for a fact I am going to be playing music for the rest of my life."
All because of some luck in room assignments, the residents of the third floor were able to form a group to share their passion for music.
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