Homewood students make a name for themselves on stage
The members of the band The Pollen don’t have similar musical tastes. But from the first time they performed together, they found that their distinctive styles could mesh together.
“Whenever we play, our chemistry on stage is what holds my attention,” Rigdon Hendrix said.
The Pollen is about a year old, formed by four friends who met as kids at Red Mountain Community School: Hendrix, a Homewood resident and homeschool student; Wesley Malone, a junior at Homewood High; Brennan Walker, a UAB student and downtown resident; and Matthew Siple, another UAB student and Liberty Park native.
Hendrix and Malone both had a background in the HHS bands before creating their own “alternative psych rock” group.
Walker said the group had its roots in a “really bad” duo between him and Malone. They picked the name because of a common trait: They both had allergies. Walker is The Pollen’s lead singer, with Malone on guitar, Hendrix on bass and Siple on drums.
“None of us listen to the same stuff, really. … It’s weird when we all come together,” Walker said.
But the weird works. Though The Pollen is a young band — both in member age and how long they’ve been performing together — the group has already played at a number of local and regional venues. Their past gigs include Seeds Coffee in Homewood, Syndicate Lounge, Saturn, Trim Tab Brewing, Spring Street Firehouse and venues in Mobile, Gulf Shores and Tennessee.
They also released their first album, “Unfiltered,” in July. Walker said being described as “Pink Floyd played in a garage” is one of his favorite moments so far.
Since The Pollen is just starting to pick up steam, all four members will get their first taste this year of what it’s like to balance a successful band with a class schedule and homework. Aside from fans or album sales, all four members agreed that the band is worth the effort because of how much enjoyment they get from performing with friends.
“When we’re even jamming, not when we’re playing our songs, I feel connection with these guys. We can all kind of feel what groove we’re going into next and transition into that together,” Siple said.
“I’m going to be playing music for the rest of my life, and I’d like to do it with three of my best friends,” Hendrix said.
Their goals for the future include a second album and possibly tours on both coasts to “try and get our name out of Birmingham,” Hendrix said. Getting to share a stage with some of their musical idols — and maybe making a little money off the band — would be nice, too.
Like every band, the members of The Pollen hope they can eventually be a name that other musicians recognize and respect.
“I want to be in the hall of fame for bass. I just want to be among the ranks of, ‘He was good, too,’” Hendrix said.
Learn more about The Pollen at facebook.com/ThePollenBham or thepollenband.bandcamp.com/releases.