Adam Ritchie and his band inside the DMZSteve Schmidt and Link Smith skating in DMZ parking lotSteve Schmidt, somewhere between the heights and downtownGrove Circle Punx - Andy Conrad, Utrillo, Bryan Spinas, Matthew Thompson, Jason White, Josh Bentley (92) |
 Dave Wilkinson // I remember when Soophie Nun Squad was known as The Schwa Sound. I knew the Lierly Brothers from skating together in various parts of NLR which is where I grew up. I also met Nate and Eli was well and we knew a lot of the same people and we became friends. Mark, Mike and I skated together a lot and they lived pretty much in the same neighborhood I did which was Overbrook. I remember talking about music and skating and what bands we liked and Mark had a set of drums and Mike had a guitar which I remember we did jam but nothing really came out of it, but it was fun. In fall of 92 I entered NLR High (from Walnut Valley Christian Academy this was basically my first time being back in the public school circuit since Amboy Elementary to WVCA from 2nd to 8th grade). I didn't really know anyone there expect a very few people who lived in the neighborhood. It was there I ran into Nate, Eli and Mike and then the rest of the people in the circle I also met and became really good friends with. I remember in my ... (More)I remember when Soophie Nun Squad was known as The Schwa Sound. I knew the Lierly Brothers from skating together in various parts of NLR which is where I grew up. I also met Nate and Eli was well and we knew a lot of the same people and we became friends. Mark, Mike and I skated together a lot and they lived pretty much in the same neighborhood I did which was Overbrook. I remember talking about music and skating and what bands we liked and Mark had a set of drums and Mike had a guitar which I remember we did jam but nothing really came out of it, but it was fun. In fall of 92 I entered NLR High (from Walnut Valley Christian Academy this was basically my first time being back in the public school circuit since Amboy Elementary to WVCA from 2nd to 8th grade). I didn't really know anyone there expect a very few people who lived in the neighborhood. It was there I ran into Nate, Eli and Mike and then the rest of the people in the circle I also met and became really good friends with. I remember in my first period art class every morning I would see the Schwa Sound logo on the board from the previous day. At lunch we all hung out by what some people called the "stoner pit" and I remember Nate and Eli telling me they formed a band called the Schwa Sound and I was like "ah so that was you guys." I remember nate would make zines and give them to people which I still have a bunch to this day. I also recall that later after seeing the Schwa Sound logo on the board every morning, that I started to see the Soophie Nun Squad logo. I had not heard the band until later until the Governor's show (see that story). I think it was after that they gave me the first 2 demos which sounded like they were recorded in an attic I believe. What struck me about the band was it was more than just a band but also a posse which at the time I never really thought that much about it, and I have to say that SNS is a part of getting through the hell of high school because all suffered all the shit together day in and day out. Every year though they started getting better and just doing more things and I think it's still amazing that there has been a lot of other bands from Soophie Nun Squad as well and of course the cool thing is that most everyone has been friends since then. (Less) Nate Powell // In autumn 1992, Mike Lierly and his younger brother Mark (who had just entered sixth grade at the time), Eli, and I began playing music together. Together at different times, at least. Let's see, the chronology goes like this...
In summer '92 Mike and Dustin were in a band called Kudita that alllllmost played a show. In its wake, the two formed a band (also with Bill Brookshire of Kudita, and Jay Hardin) called Mysterious Cows--self-dubbed "disco punk"--that played two shows in the late summer, both birthday parties, by Mike's account. Around that time, Mike, Mark, Brandin Johnston (Andy Conrad's younger cousin, as he was sure to let us know), and I formed Waterfoul, who managed to do some recording. Sure, Mike played a hand-me-down acoustic guitar and Mark drummed on empty Transformers packaging, but it really happened. Simultaneously, Mike and I joined forces with mulletted Levy skater and math wizard Eli Monster to form Phloodlight (sorry about that "ph"). Around October '92, the two bands merged to form The Schwa Sound.
I remember writing several dozen songs together in these incarnations, but the amazing thing is that none of us had any instruments (besides those mentioned) until Christmas 1992. Strangely, I'm ... (More)In autumn 1992, Mike Lierly and his younger brother Mark (who had just entered sixth grade at the time), Eli, and I began playing music together. Together at different times, at least. Let's see, the chronology goes like this...
In summer '92 Mike and Dustin were in a band called Kudita that alllllmost played a show. In its wake, the two formed a band (also with Bill Brookshire of Kudita, and Jay Hardin) called Mysterious Cows--self-dubbed "disco punk"--that played two shows in the late summer, both birthday parties, by Mike's account. Around that time, Mike, Mark, Brandin Johnston (Andy Conrad's younger cousin, as he was sure to let us know), and I formed Waterfoul, who managed to do some recording. Sure, Mike played a hand-me-down acoustic guitar and Mark drummed on empty Transformers packaging, but it really happened. Simultaneously, Mike and I joined forces with mulletted Levy skater and math wizard Eli Monster to form Phloodlight (sorry about that "ph"). Around October '92, the two bands merged to form The Schwa Sound.
I remember writing several dozen songs together in these incarnations, but the amazing thing is that none of us had any instruments (besides those mentioned) until Christmas 1992. Strangely, I'm pretty sure that by this point we had already "inherited" the Numbskulz' drum set (which remains in the Lierly parents' attic in Overbrook to this day) but for some reason we didn't use it. Anyway, in February 1993 Dustin started coming to practices because he had an amp (did I mention we also had no amps?), and became the second singer while Mike continued to pummel away at his imitation Squire.
During a tense break in SNS's first practice under that name, Dustin picked up the guitar and suddenly everything made a lot more sense. Mike just hopped over next to the jambox with me, and the Squad had found its place. (Less) 
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Andy Conrad
Kudita
