Rising Stars: Meet Spencer Mullins of Ann Arbor, MI

Today we’d like to introduce you to Spencer Mullins

Hi Spencer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
TOADALLY took a while to form. During July about two years ago I was about at the end of my rope searching for bandmates. Despite how it may seem, many musicians aren’t looking to start bands! I found a post on craigslist from a guy around my age named Nick. I thought “Why the heck not” and reached out. We met a few times just jamming in my basement. I showed him my song ideas and he showed me his. Before I knew it, he had reached out to Victoria and Jake with the power of the internet! Similar to how I found him. Victoria played piano, synth, and flute. Jake played drums. Victoria knew Kim, our bassist, personally and asked if she was interested to join.
For the next year we met weekly and started writing original songs. It was everything I had dreamed of since I was sixteen. I felt a creative connection with my band members. We came to the name TOADALLY after about four months of not having an official band name. We did a random poll and Jake brilliantly put “toadally” in as a joke. Most of the names were toad-themed because we had a running joke in the band about them during that time. The name stuck and the rest is history. Most of that year we all agreed we didn’t really know what we were doing. We were missing something.
Nick amicably parted from the band the next summer. He understandably accomplished what he wanted to do; which was to form a band and play live. For about a month we searched for a new member with the intention of keeping the band a five-piece. We auditioned several people who were all awesome. The last person we had lined up to audition was a friend of Kim’s named Fangbo. Everyone agreed during the audition things just felt right. Fangbo was what we were missing. It almost felt like an official start to the band after a year of kicking cans.
Fangbo brought an energy that very much matched mine. He loved the same artists and held the same creative philosophy as everyone else. His guitar playing was creative and the original songs he had written were fantastic. The addition of him to the band really sent us into a period of productive creation.
Over the next year we wrote many originals and started to record songs at Grove Studios in Ypsilanti and in my bedroom. On top of that, we were playing live as much as our lives could allow. It was quite a special time. We were in our own little world enjoying each other and our music. From that we released three songs called “Puzzled” “Count To Ten” and “Fall Dream”. A new era for TOADALLY has arrived. We’re constantly trying to find our identity in the real world or online. We aim to release new music this year and bigger projects.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh absolutely not! I think we all have lost the rose-tinted glasses of being in a band. It’s hard work to create something out of nothing. Since none of us can pursue music full-time, it requires us to make sacrifices, compromises, and sneak music creation in our already busy lives. We constantly struggle to create momentum on our current projects. It’s a lot to balance for one person.
Best way I can describe it is that five individuals need to constantly connect with each other. It’s like five suns that all need to rise at the same time. Or five people needing to pick the same number between one and ten. This struggle isn’t something to shy away from, as we learned, but to be embraced. Of course, when we communicate and treat each other with empathy we usually work things out pretty effectively.
Another struggle is the constant encroachment of new territory. In the modern age, being in and running a band requires so many things! In this age of music you need to be a producer, social media manager, band manager, influencer, booking agent, live performer, and musician. That’s a lot of hats to wear. This is a big struggle we’re trying to get a grip on. I can’t imagine doing this without my four friends!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
There are many unique things about our band. I know we all particularly enjoy the fact we are all multi-instrumentalists. None of us are really confined to a certain instrument or way of thinking. For example, our drummer Jake also plays guitar. He’s written some songs we’ve already started working on. For that song Jake wrote, he asked me to overhaul the lyrics and melody. It was magical being able to trust each other with these ideas in the hopes of making them better. I’m always amazed by how quickly Fangbo can write an awesome lead guitar riff. Victoria has an incredible feel for harmony and pace. Kim writes basslines that fit so well within the framework of any song I share with her. I’m proud of how fluid we all work together.
The fluidity doesn’t end with just our technical ability. TOADALLY thinks of itself as an indie band, but a genre-less indie band. None of us write a song with a specific genre we’re trying to fit into. I know that sets us apart from many bands. These past couple months I’ve written songs with a heavy-metal influence. This is not what we’ve typically written in the past. Next month we could be writing a song with funk-inspired verses and a heavy-metal chorus! Who knows? It’s the most exciting part of being in this band. It’s exciting to see us take a simple idea for a song and change it to something unrecognizable. We’re proud of this and won’t change it for the foreseeable future.
TOADALLY functions with a basic workflow. First one of us creates a sketch of a song. Usually Fangbo, Victoria, or myself create a small idea consisting of lyrics or chords. Next we bring this idea to the band and everyone spends time making a part for it. Next we meet and work on the song as a full band. This is when we really experiment and try to discover what the song really is. Once it’s done, we move onto recording to try and capture the energy of the song.
As for jobs in the band, I’m the principal songwriter, producer, and social media manager. Fangbo shares the same roles as principal songwriter, social media manager, and content creation artist. Jake is our outreach manager who sets up new gigs for us to play. Victoria is our visual art and merchandise director. Finally, Kim assists with many of these operations. Most of this is a continual work in progress because being a band is dynamic and things change quickly.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
This is a very interesting and concerning question. I see the internet taking more of a center stage for everything music related. It’s not that brave of an answer because one only needs to look at the current status of the music industry. Bands and artists are no longer discovered in bars, clubs, and other music venues. Everyone needs to lean heavily on the crutch that the internet provides. Social media is a super effective marketing tool not in getting people to buy things but to make them aware. I believe many people find their favorite modern artists through social media and streaming platforms. In five or ten years, how could we possibly move away from that?
One big change I could see happening is bands and artists playing their performances live on Twitch or YouTube instead of a music hall. There has been such a monumental growth in live streaming the past couple years. I’m surprised more established bands haven’t hopped on that train yet.
With ticket prices rising and basically being controlled by Ticketmaster, I see many indie bands giving up on live touring. I hope not, but touring is incredibly expensive. Many smaller bands may spend a good portion of the year live streaming performances to make up for this. It’ll be depressing if things don’t change. Music has always meant to be enjoyed live. It’s a cathartic and communal experience to see your favorite bands live. Let’s hope in ten years we don’t live in a dystopia where bands can only realistically perform live on streaming platforms. Maybe with a little luck our little band can help improve the music industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/toadally?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabYFeK9PnIMwwfOq362wv5Knoff04Ekezkv5gbzM9MZ_7m6N8DFceR4Vew_aem_YKE76Noq9DpEfsi_czTDCA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toadallyband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toadallyband
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWe4bf016h1j_Ndo1b9wjcg