by Karl Sorne | Photography by Dave Barfield
My face is cracked from smiling after a few hours of getting to know the members of Tuesday Supper Club. As the five strong band, sporting Jen Clark, Micah Holmbeck, Sara Wander, Robyn Amy Buda and Chris Buda as members, play their fun blend of music, it becomes increasingly clear how their name ties into their history and dynamic. Each member had individually walked through the Tallahassee scene, playing music as solo acts and with other bands, but when Jen met Sara there were inklings of something great. Starting in 2013 playing around Sara’s dinner table on Tuesday evenings, the group quickly found that not only did they share a unique chemistry, but also felt bewildered at how they had gone that long without playing with each other.
Their sound is varied and fun. Their shows are energetic and full of a familial love, but the thing most enjoyable throughout is the strong undercurrent pulling you out of your day to day and into a world of music and merriment, summarized in this story from the band:
“We wrote a song in the car while we were driving to Thomasville, GA to compete in the annual Battle of Bands there a couple years ago (and no, we didn’t win, we were beat by a band performing covers like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’). We wrote ‘Hot Sauce and Handguns’ on a free-association binge during this car ride by just pairing combinations of words and thoughts that sounded fun together and could somehow be linked, but not quite. The lyrics include things like ‘Satin cummerbunds, frizzy updos and undones, don’t forget hot sauce and handguns cause we go all out all out all out.’ When we returned to band practice next week, we paired these tangential and fun lyrics with a funky riff, and while the ‘Battle’ was unremarkable, the song remains one of our favorites.”
Jen Clark – Vocals and Guitar
Micah Holmbeck – Bass
Sara Wander – Guitar and Kazoo
Robyn Amy Buda – Mandolin and Backup Vocals
Chris Buda – Drums
There is a large amount of listener interpretation involved in the consumption of their songs as well. Listing two of their other favorites, they describe them as “…either a very thin frail old cat who’s just trying to get by or a washed up spinster who still thinks she’s got her groove (but she doesn’t)…” and “a bulldog with a new toy or a large woman enjoying some self exploration…” allowing the listener to take away the image that strikes the strongest chord. All throughout the entirety of the project, there is a strong desire to involve anyone who is willing to spare them the time of day, trying to share with everyone their approach to music and life, again embodied by a quote from the band: “While we try to play every song perfectly, mistakes happen and brushing them off and keeping the song going and smiling throughout it is one of the many things that makes playing music as a band interesting and fun.”
While the Tuesday Supper Club is taking it easy in the near future, you can catch them playing on First Fridays at Grasslands Brewing Company. Check out TuesdaySupperClub.com for more info.
