Warm Weather is set to open for Whitness at Phi Delta Alpha fraternity's annual Block Party on the house's front lawn on Friday. Phi Delt members have been brainstorming possible bands for Green Key since the fall, according to social chair Sam Lewis '13.
"We kind of just wanted the music we always play in our house, which is pretty old school rock and funk and just good music to hang out to and have fun," he said.
Lewis reached out to Phi Delt alumnus Lynch-Salamon and through alumni connections also booked Whitness. Mike Fritz '07, also an alumnus of the fraternity, is the manager of Whitness, which is led by guitarist Whit Murray, bassist Craig Vinyard, drummer Wylie Nash and keyboard player Davis Whitfield.
"Both of the bands had a really good feel, and we thought they'd be great," Lewis said.
Lynch-Salamon and Lerman said they are excited to be returning to their alma mater, which will be the last stop on the band's two-week tour throughout the East Coast and Canada.
"I remember going to Block Party and wishing that I had a band that could play at an event there," Lerman said. "This will be our first outdoor venue, which is fitting for our fun-in-the-sun type of music. I'm hoping our name will bring good weather."
Lerman and Lynch-Salamon began performing together as members of the Dartmouth Aires during their time at the College and appeared with the Aires on NBC's "The Sing-Off" in the fall.
"Justin and I started goofing around our sophomore year, writing songs and doing stuff on Garage Band," Lynch-Salamon said. "We kind of became musical partners in a way."
After their senior year, Lerman decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue his passion for music. He invited Lynch-Salamon and his high school best friend Pollie, a music major from Bates College, to join him, Lerman said.
The trio decided to road trip to California after graduation. Instead of wasting time during the trip, Lerman said they began working on their music as soon as the journey began.
"As soon as the road trip started, we plugged the synthesizer into the car and just started writing songs while we were on the road," Lynch-Salamon said. "When we got to L.A., we rented a little ranch, set up a studio and recorded a couple songs pretty much in the first week or two."
Lerman and Pollie are from just outside of Philadelphia, and Lynch-Salamon hails from Minneapolis, so the warm Los Angeles climate was an adjustment for the trio so much so, in fact, that it was a factor in the band's name.
"Ryan's girlfriend wanted to start a clothing store called Warm Weather, and we liked that name because Ryan's first album was called Snow Day,' which was kind of more wintery, depressing songs," Lerman said. "But then we were moving to L.A., where it's a lot more fun and sunny, so we decided to write more upbeat songs. We stole the name from his girlfriend's imaginary store, and we stuck with it."
Whitness, which will come on after Warm Weather at Block Party, took its name from one of the band's members.
"The name Whitness came about because there are two members in the group with the name Whitfield Whit' is short for it," Murray said. "It's also a way of enticing people to come witness the show, the experience."
The group was formed by Murray, a North Carolina native, who had been playing in a band in Athens, Ga. before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he met Nash. The two then started inviting friends to play with them, which led to the creation of Whitness.
Whitness will be playing an hour-and-a-half long set on Friday, which will showcase its entire repertoire and skill set, according to Murray.
"Our music takes elements of jazz and jazz fusion and incorporates them into our music," he said. "It's anywhere from classic rock to modern rock, with some elements of funk. A few of the songs will also have extended improvisational sections. We'll probably play around 11 songs. We can throw some in or cut them out if we're going too long."
Warm Weather will begin performing at 2:30 p.m. and Whitness will take the stage at 4:30 p.m.
"It should be a fun show," Murray said. "We've got a really good sound engineer, and we're excited to get out there and play for everyone."
All of Webster Avenue will be closed to automobile traffic for the duration of both shows, according to Lewis.
