Corbin Berghoff, a freshman majoring in music industry, saw the ad first. He knew exactly what to do next. 

“I saw… an ad request for band members, [someone] wanted to start a band,” Berghoff said. “So I sent her a screenshot.” 

“Her” would be Stella Badrutt-Baer, a freshman majoring in music industry and a good friend of Berghoff’s. Badrutt-Baer had seen it too, but instead of responding to the ad, she had a different idea. What if the two of them just started a band together instead?

With that simple proposal, Small Talk was born. To find their lead singer, they didn’t have to look very far. Sammi Wallace, a freshman majoring in popular music performance, is Badrutt-Baer’s roommate.  She swiftly agreed to join the burgeoning group.

The rest of Small Talk clicked into place from there. Dylan Ochoa is Berghoff’s roommate and a longtime friend. Badrutt-Baer knew Gabi Fues and asked Fues to play bass. The same story went for Berghoff, who recruited Savannah Tweedt for the drums. 

However, their name took a bit longer to find. Scrolling through Spotify and a group brainstorm session resulted in names like “Flipturn” and “Pool Plant” before they found the perfect name, based on the track of the same name by singer-songwriter Briston Maroney.

The all-freshmen sextet, mere months into their tenure as a band, already thrives together, as seen at their headlining set at the Hash House on March 28. The band bends genres with ease. The setlist included “Pink Pony Club,” “Teenage Dirtbag” and “Get Lucky”  and all somehow sounded natural, each fitting into the band’s energetic and confident style.  

The instrumentals received rocket fuel in the form of Wallace, whose lead vocals on tracks like Paramore’s “Still Into You” called to mind the band’s iconic frontwoman, Hayley Williams. Still, each got their moment to shine. A particular highlight was Ochoa’s talkbox-assisted vocals during “Get Lucky,” which the engineering student said was borne out of a longtime interest.

“I have a fascination with weird-keyboard adjacent instruments,” said Ochoa, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering as well as computer engineering. “I was just looking for goofy things that I could do next. And the talkbox came up, and I was like, ‘Yes, that’s awesome.’”

In fact, each band member brings something unique to the table. For Berghoff and Badrutt-Baer, their music industry background means they’re just as interested in the business as they are in the backing track. 

“It’s just so fun to be able to learn about booking and doing contracts and signing deals and everything that works inside of a band and how to communicate with musicians, because ultimately, I want to work in the industry,” Badrutt-Baer said.

For Wallace, it’s all about the energy in the room.

“I hope I just bring good vibes, make everybody smile and laugh and chuckle a little bit,” Wallace said. “Because that’s what music is, for me. It’s fun, it’s a creative expression and it can be the most amazing thing in the world. And I love to help remind people of that.”

Just days before their Springfest performance, Wallace booted up a calming fish video at a Thornton practice room and, seconds before launching into their setlist, was still cracking jokes and discussing her Chipotle order. 

The five members present showed off their personality during this March 31 run-through of their forthcoming set. Berghoff performed a variety of guitar flourishes, while Tweedt, a freshman majoring in popular music performance, pounded the drums with an excited intensity. Ochoa co-led the vibes department from his perch at the keys. Badrutt-Baer acted as the band’s quarterback, interacting and assisting every single other member throughout the set. In front was Wallace, who was already performing for a nonexistent audience.

Though Fues was absent that evening, the bassist is essential to the band — doubling as lead producer on the two original songs Small Talk has released so far, “The Same” and “Dilute.” 

“I’m producing the music, which is really fun and really rewarding,” said Fues, a freshman majoring in popular music performance as well as music production. “We all bring our own thing whenever we’re needed — we all step up when we need to.” 

“The Same” was born from a commission from a friend, who was working on a film and needed an original song for it — and fast. So Small Talk started from scratch, whipping together the track in a month. “Dilute” came from an assignment in Wallace’s songwriting class and a desire to keep making originals. The tracks are the start of what Tweedt hopes will be a long journey. 

“I’m just hoping that we can continue making music together for as long as possible, and see how far it takes us,” Tweedt said. “I wasn’t expecting it to be as intensive or dynamic as it really is, but it’s been something that’s super special.” 

Olivia Espinoza, a freshman majoring in music industry, works with Small Talk to run their social media accounts. She couldn’t agree more. 

“They had such confidence within them, and so much belief in themselves in a band, and that they could really do this,” Espinoza said. “And I don’t know how far they want to go, but I believe in them as a friend, as a fan, and I believe that they can go far.” 

A common theme from all six members was that their group wasn’t just a disparate collection of talented performers. 

“I think the most important thing, honestly, is just that we’re a friend group,” Fues said. 

Chris Whitty, a freshman majoring in music production, is a friend and frequent collaborator of Small Talk — and he’s seen the benefits of this connection firsthand. Whitty gushed about the band, but when he did, it wasn’t to discuss the way they played — more so, the way they coexisted.  

“They have really good chemistry as friends, just as people,” Whitty said. “When you’re creating music with people that you know really well, and when you’re playing live with people you know really well, I think that can really help you gel together.” 

It’s a phenomenon that Ochoa can attest to.  

“We didn’t know it at the time, but it’s a family now,” Ochoa said. “We enjoy playing music with each other so much that the motivation to just do more just kind of happens on its own.”