'Radical community building': UNC student band Summer Flood makes waves

UNC students Jackson Miller, Noah Hancock and Joseph Sharpe never anticipated that their college lives would involve building a band from the ground up.

Last year, along with guitarists Will Albright and now-graduated alumnus Will Rutledge, they started playing in the basement of the house they lived in at the time.

In an impromptu moment, the music they made together came about organically.

“We bought a drum kit off of Craigslist, and we set it all up in our basement downstairs, and just started playing around with things," Sharpe, who is the lead singer of the band, said. 

The house, fondly referred to as Mrs. D’s, has been passed down through members of UNC Young Life, the campus ministry where the bandmates formed their close friendship. Their faith is a large driving force behind their authenticity and deep passion for fostering community through music. 

That same summer that they created the band, the basement of Mrs. D’s flooded. Henceforth, the lively and spirited band has been known as “Summer Flood.” The group goes back to play at Mrs. D’s frequently, and plans to do so again this semester in collaboration with the International Justice Mission. 

The student-led band can be regularly spotted at fraternities like Pi Kappa Phi and at other functions, and continues to grow in impact with every gig. They started off playing shows for free, but as their network expanded, they now regularly receive booking requests through their Instagram page which has garnered nearly 600 followers. 

The band dabbles in a variety of types of music when choosing what to cover, but favors the indie and rock genres. Some recognizable crowd favorites the band frequently performs include “Kilby Girl” by the Backseat Lovers, “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, “Yellow” by Coldplay and songs by Noah Kahan.

Miller is a staunch believer in what he calls “radical community building,” which is a core quality of the band that makes it so popular among audiences. 

“Whether it's a fraternity or it's a [social] club, or it's for a philanthropy event, the ultimate goal is to make that community have a fun time together," he said.

Specifically, he said that the band often encourages audience participation, getting them to join in and sing along.

Since its humble beginnings, Summer Flood has expanded into something even greater and more vivid than what the members had previously thought possible.

“When I was a junior in high school, and I picked up a guitar for the first time, all I wanted to do was learn my favorite rock and roll riff,” Miller, who plays guitar in Summer Flood, said. “I'm overwhelmed with joyful emotion thinking about where I am now.”

Hancock, who is a drummer in the band, wants other aspiring musicians to know that the possibilities truly are limitless. He believes anyone willing can also perform for audiences with the right motivation. 

“There's no crowd too small," he said. “If you have one person that listens to you play music and they enjoy it, that's one person whose day you just made.”

The future for Summer Flood shines bright. The group is looking to expand to other venues in Chapel Hill such as the popular bar He’s Not Here. Additionally, the group recently dropped merch with plans for more, and has an upcoming gig scheduled to take place at Little Fraternity Court on Feb. 1.

Information about the band’s happenings are frequently shared on their Instagram page.

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com