About this Event
There’s something kinda magical about naming your band saturdays at your place. Right off
the bat, it calls to mind images of collapsing onto a friend’s couch at the end of a long week, and
the kind of nights that turn into stories you’ll tell for years to come. For the band from
Kalamazoo, Michigan, it’s more than just a name; it’s what’s held them together through college
and the strange process of becoming an adult. Whether unpacking tour burnout or the shame of
outgrowing your past, they’re constantly rejecting irony in favor of something much bolder:
sincerity.
On their upcoming second full-length, these things happen (out September 12), saturdays at
your place take everything that made their early material resonate—twinkly guitars,
heart-on-sleeve songwriting, a distinctly Midwestern ache—and stretch it into something even
more resonant. It’s a record about growing up without growing cold, and it’s also a testament to
where they’re from, both literally and musically; proof that a band with strong hometown roots
can still shake the ground.
Formed by three friends who met at Western Michigan University, the band—Esden Stafne
(vocals/bass), Gabe Wood (vocals/drums), and Mitch Gulish (guitar)—have always used
music as a way to map the wretched trajectory of growing up. But on these things happen,
they’ve stopped asking for directions and started finding their own way through the chaos. The
result is a heartfelt, emotionally chaotic and self-aware glimpse at adulthood in all its many
complexities.
A lot of inspiration for the record came from Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 film, Magnolia. In
the movie, strangers' lives collide in a grand way, for no reason. There’s no greater meaning to
unfold, just happenstance, and similarly, the album doesn’t offer listeners any new information
on what to do once you’ve ascended into adulthood; it simply provides a more relatable cushion.
Channeling the gut-punch angst of bands like Modern Baseball and Hot Mulligan, lead single
“waste away” is a standout moment about both wishing you were dead AND remembering how
much fun life can be, too. Elsewhere,
“what am I supposed to do?” finds the band reflecting
on individuality and people-pleasing; and “I’d rather be in michigan” is an attempt to capture
the struggle of finding stability amidst a nonstop tour cycle.
Then there’s the gut-wrenching closing track,
“i give in.
” A cinematic portrayal of
codependency and trauma, it wraps the album in a sort of quiet comfort, one that comes to
terms with the shared weight of what we all carry in our day-to-day lives.
“I wanted to write that song for a long time,
” Gabe says.
“I’ve never felt like I was the right
person to offer any sort of unique perspective on that kind of situation, I really didn’t want to get
it wrong. But being open and honest about it is actually what I needed to finally let go and
forgive and move on.
”
The hype for saturdays at your place first kicked off with their 2023 EP, always cloudy, and has
since blossomed into a steadily-building wave of momentum.
“tarot cards” instantly had fans on
the hook with its undeniable melody and quirky pronunciation, but the entire record has since
gone on to cement their place as one of the most exciting modern emo bands around. And while
always cloudy was a strong introduction, these things happen marks a decidedly more
introspective future for saturdays at your place; it’s also the first music they’ve released since
2023.
Overall, these things happen isn’t an album that provides many answers. Instead, it’s a cathartic
companion to survival with friends at your side, gear in the trailer, and enough hope to keep
showing up. For saturdays at your place, that’s enough.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
40 Watt Club, 285 West Washington St, Athens, United States
USD 33.30
