Spring Sing Profile: The Street Hearts
The Street Hearts are a folk-soul band that performed and won the award for best band at Spring Sing 2013. This year, the band will take Pauley Pavilion’s stage to perform its new song “Darlin’, Don’t Go.” (Jose Ubeda/Daily Bruin staff)
By Leyla Kumble
May 14, 2014 12:00 a.m.
Walking into The Street Hearts’ rehearsal, it is clear that the five musicians are comfortable with one other. They complete one other’s sentences, comfortably sway together in time and tease one other.
In preparing for its upcoming Spring Sing performance on Friday the folk-soul band is working to bring that intimacy to all aspects of its music.
Although The Street Hearts performed and won the award for best band at Spring Sing 2013, they insist that this year’s audience should not have any pre-existing expectations. Among many factors that have led the band’s evolution of sound is second-year dance student and The Street Hearts’ banjoist Sarah Summers, who performed as a solo act in 2013 but who will play with them at this year’s performance. Summers is no longer officially a member; however she auditioned with the band and is, therefore, playing honorarily.
The song that the band has prepared for Spring Sing is a group effort.
“The song we wrote for Spring Sing, we all wrote it together,” said third-year civil and environmental engineering student and double bassist Nicholai Hansen. “We combined our own backgrounds and influences and infused it together.”
Despite the band’s established status at UCLA, The Street Hearts said they are not letting themselves be restrained by their past winning formulas.
“The song is different from anything we’ve done before. It’s very intricate. There are more strings in it, more parts, not as conventional, a lot more mellow,” said third-year English and history student and guitarist Andrew Giurgius.
The change of sound was more of a result, the band said, of having performed at Spring Sing in the past.
“Because they want new faces every year you have to prove that one, you’re good enough to be in Spring Sing, and two, you’re different than you were the year before,” Summers said.
The band has bittersweet feelings for this year’s Spring Sing performance.
“It’s sentimental because it’s the last (Spring Sing) we are going to play,” Summers said. “It’s like our last hoorah.”
The band members said that they are excited to play for the UCLA community. They said they enjoy the unique opportunity to try new things and experiment with their sound.
“Our song is different from what we used to be,” Hanson said. “I’m excited to differentiate ourselves.”
When asked what to look forward to in their upcoming performance, third-year cognitive science student and keyboardist Nick Valentini’s answer is simple.
“People should look forward to our harmonies,” Valentini said. “I always do.”
