This UA student-led jam band has “too cool for school” written all over them. Millie and the boys take campus by storm. Here’s some insight on the random, spontaneous, but altogether successful group.
Just over a year old, Top Heavy has six members: Gabe Myers (lead vocalist), Douglas Harrell (drums), Hays Edmunds (guitar), Anson Harris (guitar), Grant Alderman (keyboard), and Henry Nichols (bass). They came together in a laid-back and spontaneous way that matches their vibe on stage. Edmunds, Harris, Alderman, and Nichols are members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity on campus.
They knew they wanted to form a band, so the guys began their search for a drummer and lead singer. Myers was discovered on find-a-musician.com. One direct message and a cover of “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon later, and they had themselves a frontman. Harrell was connected to the band through mutual friends.
An impromptu 10am practice in September of 2022 was the first time they met as a group, and the rest was history. Two practices a week, two gigs a week, and upwards of forty covers ranging from country to rock is no easy feat.
So who exactly is this new, randomly formed, but altogether successful band: Top Heavy?
The band unanimously agrees that the bigger the crowd the better, and their largest audience so far was a headlining performance at Pi Kappa Phi, another fraternity on campus. Greek connections without a doubt skyrocket a local band’s exposure, and their audiences can peak at thousands. This experience gave them enough credibility to begin seeking out the next level of performances in Tuscaloosa: bar gigs.
Being an independent band with no manager, the networking is all on them. Harris and Myers hit up every venue that would listen. They finally broke into a bar rotation, consistently playing at The Booth, Moes BBQ, and Rabbit Hole. Their on-stage personas are almost identical to their IRL personalities, and their confidence and courage show. Myers’ backflips on stage are a crowd favorite. Unsurprisingly, their unshaken energy has attracted quite a few crowds. While their fraternity brothers are a huge private support system, they have been recognized in public. Upon recognition, they “feel so cool” and “tell everyone they know” as it makes it “so real” for them.
“My mom even posted a video of us for all twenty of her followers,” Myers Laughs.
The band is extremely time consuming, and as they all pursue degrees in the college of business, I asked if they will be continuing their careers in music after graduation.
“I hope we never break up. Maybe you’ll see Top Heavy in space on the moon because that’s how long we’ll be around”
While they have adrenaline-filled warmups up to the second they begin their setlist, their one constant is their mascot, the one and only Millie, and she’s Harris’ well behaved and adorable dog that even joins them in their gigs. She even made her appearance during our interviews, and she is a perfect seventh member of the band.
As Top Heavy commences their second year together, they’re always adding new music to the setlist, including some originals that are in the making. They’ve come a long way since their first performances. Keep up with the laid-back boys of Top Heavy and support the university’s local band with the link tree below and catch them at their next big gigs, such as UA SGA’s Battle of the Bands on November 2nd. If you want to hang with them on their off days, you can find them at their favorite hangouts and restaurants, Brown’s Corner above Half Shell, Newks, and The Booth, or Moes BBQ!
