An Up and Coming Psychedelic Prophecy of a Band: Plays House Show In South Eugene
By Remi Steeves
HyperSigil, a psychedelic rock band from Corvallis, blessed a new house venue in South Eugene, in the venue’s debut show. A house venue is a private residence where select local and smaller touring bands are invited to play a show. This allows bands to reach out to their audience privately and invite them to the show, usually via a flyer advertised on social media asking the audience to message the band privately to receive the address.
According to Charlie Tuckfield, the drummer of the band, it is important to play shows at house venues because “more people go to them” — including LCC students. Compared to their shows in Corvallis played in bars and restaurants that “couldn’t really draw a crowd,” house shows are more popular among members of the punk and alternative scene.
The band is relatively new, but stepped into the scene with a bang. Introduced by the band Road Trip, they played their first show in early April at a Corvallis house venue called Rat House headlined by the band Love Letter.
HyperSigil has four dedicated musicians: Jack Duettra who does vocals and guitar, Lars Romine on bass guitar, Tiago Brockert, who plays the keyboard, and Tuckfield on drums. The four met the previous school year at Oregon State University through the school’s Snapchat story after one of them put out a message searching for band members. Originally, HyperSigil had a different vocalist in addition to the current four members, but things didn’t work out with him, so they went their separate ways and renamed the group.
Duettra explains that a hyper sigil is “a work of art that’s intended to act as a spell,” or a way of shaping one’s own future. The band itself has become just that: a living, musical spell that is continually being written.
Upon meeting each other, Tuckfield found out that Duettra was living in his old dorm room at OSU; Finley 307. Romine lived on the third floor of Finley Hall as well. Tuckfield had left a letter in the dorm explaining that there was a dollar hidden somewhere, not expecting its next occupant to be someone he knew. When Duettra couldn’t find the dollar, Tuckfield revealed it was hidden in the radiator. The two were surprised to find it still intact after having endured the summer cleaning and inspections as well as the heat from the radiator.
As they grew closer as friends and grew as musicians, they found that the most important part of their band was improvised jam sessions. Even the music they play live is only loosely structured. They have played a few covers together, but find the most fulfillment in writing original music.
Tuckfield expands on this saying, “I like covers, but it’s not everything. Especially, I have some kind of investment, like there are some stakes. ‘Cause I made the song or I made the drum part for the song. I’m conducting the song. I’m the person who came up with how this is structured.”
HyperSigil explains that one of their greatest musical influences lately is King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, but starting out were influenced more heavily by Led Zeppelin. As they have been drawn into King Gizzard’s psychedelic flow, the direction the band has taken the last two shows differs from their previous “classic rock Zeppelin-y, funk rock vibe,” as Brockert put it. Their songs contain a more constantly flowing energy shared between the four of them, driven by the energy of the crowd rather than a formulaic rhythm.
Romine says the looser structuring “gives you more control mechanisms over the song, more than our previous style that we were playing.”
That’s not to say HyperSigil won’t continue to play their older, classic rock style. They know the crowds still like it alongside their new psychedelic vibe, and Brockert felt it worth mentioning that they “are not only a jam band.” Their set that night was led with flowing psychedelic rock, then followed by a more energetic, funky, classic Zeppelin feel.
HyperSigil’s most important goal during any show, they say, is building an atmosphere with the crowd, who is very much a part of their music. Duettra adds that “everyone came to a show for a reason, and that’s to hear music.” He says HyperSigil aims to “put [the crowd] in a different headspace and have them feel the groove.”
HyperSigil recalls how difficult it was to get started, but once they broke through and landed their first show, they were met with an unbelievably supportive community. In order to get there, they had to put in the work together and reach out to friends and other bands who were where they aspired to be.
Brockert says that, “the local scene is so supportive. It just lifts everybody up, it’s great.” Tuckfield adds, “everyone wants to help each other.”
It is easy to find support from bigger bands because they remember what it was like to be starting out. The cycle will continue with small bands growing and helping those younger and newer than them. “Like a big brother passing down his clothes,” Duettra adds.
