The Natives emerge with plugged-in point of view

Yellow, orange and black cords ran across the floor from speakers and sound equipment. A guitar case lay open on the floor, lined with a show poster for The Natives.

It was Tuesday evening, and the band was practicing for its performance the following night at The Bishop.

Daniel Topp’s head brushed the basement ceiling as he played bass. Kyle Hoopty plucked at his pedal steel guitar. He discovered he would need to change its strings later. Justin Hubler, in an IU basketball T-shirt, played the keyboard.

The shadows of guitarist Coleman Lowndes and drummer Aaron Frazer played across the wall.

“We’re all friends and classmates,” Frazer said. “We spend a lot of time together.”
The five musicians of The Natives are all juniors, and all but one are recording arts majors.

Their music, Lowndes said, is a blend of American styles — country, blues, rock and folk.

They’ll return to The Bishop on Dec. 4 to perform with Matthew Santos.

For the kind of work this band does, venues like The Bishop are good, Frazer said.

“Our music gets lost in a rowdy, gritty basement” because of their emphasis on vocal harmony, he said.

The band’s debut album, “My Song Is Gonna Set Me Free,” is available for free download on their website, thenativesband.com.

Lowndes said since the album was released, the band has been busy writing. Half its set is now new music.

“I think one thing I’m really proud of is that people can always expect one new song (at each show),” Lowndes said.

Topp said the band first began to form at a house party some months ago, when Lowndes had called him over to play bass.

“The more refined answer, is that we gradually came together,” Lowndes said.

The band continued its practice. Alone on the yellow cinderblock wall, a speech bubble sticker said “Charlie Patton’s War” — three members of The Natives are in this band, too.

The Natives’ sound filled the basement as they practiced one of their songs, “Legs.”
The song was acoustic on the album but, like others, has since been revamped and is now electric, Lowndes said.

“We have a more focused sound now than on the album,” Frazer said. “We’ve found our direction more.”

For the moment, they moved to “Susanna Come To Bed.”

As soon as they have enough songs, which won’t be for a while, The Natives will likely put out another album, Lowndes said.

“We’re focusing on the present,” Frazer said.