The awe-inspiring indie-folk band, The 502s, sold out Austin, Texas’ Historic Scoot Inn while on their Great American Road Trip Tour.
The boot-stomping band has been making music since 2015 and released their first self-titled EP the following year. The band is made up of Ed Isola (vocals), Matthew Tonner (keys/guitar), Joe Capati (saxophone), Nicholas Melashenko (bass), Sean Froehlich (drums), and Graci Phillips (guitar). Their style of music is recognized as a blend of upbeat bluegrass and rock. In April of 2024, The 502s released their third full-length self-titled album.
At 8 PM, singer-songwriter Zach Seabaugh began his set. Seabaugh is a Nashville-based singer and songwriter. In September of 2023, he released his debut album Mr. Nobody. Zach’s set was short but extremely entertaining. Mid-set, he performed an unreleased song for the crowd. In return, an audience member asked him if he wanted a friendship bracelet and at that time probably five bracelets were launched onto the stage for him and his band. Zach also performed his single “Told You So” which was released in May of 2024. After the show, he enthusiastically talked with and took pictures with fans.
Finally, The 502s took to the tiny outdoor stage of Scoot Inn. They opened with “If Good Times Were Dollars,” the first track from their new self-titled album. Saying The 502s interact a lot with their audience is an understatement. From the first second of the first song to their exiting the stage, they consistently stayed connected with the crowd. Generally, most songs got a quick introduction, and during “Something’s Gonna Go Our Way” the crowd got to participate in a short therapeutic exercise. Graci Phillips encouraged fans to take all their stress and crush into a big (metaphorical) ball above their heads and when they started back the chorus of the song everyone screamed all of their worries out.They played a few more songs before getting to their 2021 single “Just a Little While.” Before performing this song, Isola explained that the band got its name from the address of his home back in Florida. In Florida, the group would make music and go around playing their songs for their friends. He said they never took it seriously until they came up with the iconic banjo riff that opens the song. Before strumming the quick-beat banjo tune, Isola stepped out onto the amp in front of the stage as one spotlight pointed at him and the rest of the stage went dark. Immediately when he started the audience went wild.
With “Just a Little While” only being mid-set they still had forty more minutes of songs to sing. The rest of the concert went on as successfully as the first half. They sang other originals like “Hi There Hello!” and “Feels Good to Be Me.” For their finale, they closed with “Stories to Tell” from their EP with the same name that came out in 2023.
THE 502SWebsite Facebook X
