Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Great Peacock, The High Divers share stage at Revelry Room
You’ve got to love the wit of a band that bills itself as “possibly the best band for 2 miles.”
But since forming three years ago, High Divers band has built a following across the state of South Carolina and is extending that reputation to points around the Southeast. The High Divers will share a stage with Great Peacock tonight, June 1, at Revelry Room.
The history of the band stretches all the way back to childhood for frontman/ guitarist Luke Mitchell and bassist Kevin Early.
“Kevin was just a little kid trying to learn how to ride a bike, and he ran straight into my Dad’s van,” laughs Mitchell.
The two became friends and played music together in various bands for years before High Divers formed. Fate slowly brought the rest of the band together with Mary Alice Connor (keys/vocals) and Julius DeAngelis (drums). Connor and Mitchell dated several years when they decided they needed to sing together.
“Mary Alice was a classically trained pianist, but never made a big deal of it. It was actually when we sang a song at her grandmother’s funeral that we had the epiphany that we just had to play music together,” says Mitchell.
When DeAngelis, who was unhappy in another touring band, heard the news that Mitchell and the rest of the band were leaving for Charleston, S.C., he welcomed the change.
“We all collectively were really tired of our hometown, and needed an original music scene to be a part of,” says the drummer. So they all moved to Charleston on the same day and formed The High Divers in 2014.
They were named Best Up and Coming Band in Charleston in 2015 and South Carolina Music Guide named The High Divers a Top 5 band out of South Carolina.
With some extensive tours under their belts, as well as opening slots for notable acts such as Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Delta Spirit, Shovels & Rope and Drivin N Cryin, The High Divers are steadily becoming exactly what they’ve envisioned since day one.