Indy Gorgeous Club to be Feature Act at Street Dance

A group of talented young men, all high school-age musicians, got together to play some music.

They practiced in a band member’s basement. They performed at the Noblesville Farmers Market, at several private gigs and “wherever they could get the opportunity.”

When the band came up with the Indy Gorgeous Club name for a Spotify (digital music service) account, as kind of a joke, the name stuck.

“It sticks in your head,” said Eric Thornbury, Noblesville High School band director. “They have thousands of streams on Spotify. It’s really kind of spontaneous music making which is really cool to see.”

Eric Thornbury’s son, Jay Thornbury, is bass player and manager of the band.

I met the band members two years ago when Indy Gorgeous Club won Nickel Plate Arts’ 2020 Emerging Artist of the Year. The band at that time was made up of then NHS junior Jay Thornbury, Braeden Janes, Drew Matthews, Caleb Beik, Levi Rozek and Matthew Phemster.

This summer, Indy Gorgeous Club returns to the spotlight as the feature act for the Noblesville Street Dance this Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. Opener will be Noblesville’s Kelli Yates at 6:15 p.m., and headliner will be Groove Smash at 9:15 p.m.

Indy Gorgeous Club got the gig after reaching out to organizer Noblesville Main Street, I’m told. “They are all going off to college, and this is their last gig until next summer, so they wanted to end on a big stage,” Eric Thornbury said. “I think it’s a big deal for them to play a well-attended gig in their hometown.”

So what kind of music does Indy Gorgeous Club play?

“IGC has morphed into a funk jam band. They will play music of Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Phish and much more as well as a few original tunes,” the proud dad said.

Today’s band features four players, Jay Thornbury, bass; Drew Matthews, guitar; Caleb Beik, keyboards; and Aidan Board, drums.

“Caleb, Drew, and I all just graduated this year (2022) and Aidan graduated just a couple years before us (2020), but we knew him and his talent from the school jazz program,” Jay Thornbury said.

“Over the years, we have gained a small amount of traction, and I expect a large amount of past fans and friends will come to the Street Dance, as it’s our last show for the summer,” he said. “It’s quite hard to get shows in Noblesville for us, so I am hoping people who wouldn’t normally travel for a show will come out and support us.”

The band typically wears casual clothes and all “have our own sort of unique styles and personalities on stage,” Jay Thornbury said.

The band has been playing at Noblesville’s Wolfies, The Coterie in Kokomo, Be Here Now in Muncie, and has played at Carmel St. Patrick’s Day Festival and at many private parties.

Eric Thornbury said anyone interested can listen to and stream them on every major platform, including iTunes and Spotify. “You won’t be disappointed. They are very good.”

Jay Thornbury thanks all of the musicians who helped the band get where it is today.

“We started the band with Drew, Caleb, and I, along with a drummer by the name of Braeden Janes. Braeden was a very crucial member in getting the band started, as he also is a trained producer and recorded and helped release some of our material online,” Jay Thornbury said.

Braeden’s family let the band rehearse in his family’s basement six hours a week for about two-and-one-half years. “And for that, we cannot thank them enough,” Jay Thornbury said.

Soon after the band began its journey, the group added three horn players, Nate Peck on trumpet, Luke Nelson on trombone, and Peter Clark on alto saxophone.

“This was the first live band we played with when we had our EP release party at the Logan Street Sanctuary right in downtown Noblesville,” Jay Thornbury said.

“Peter, Nate, and Luke all attended Noblesville High School with us. Soon after those horns left, we added two new people, Matthew Phemster on tenor saxophone, and Levi Rozek on trumpet,” Jay Thornbury said. “Levi and Matthew took the band to a whole new level with their musicality and ability on the horn, and we gigged with them for a while. For a short period with Levi and Matthew, we added a (female) singer by the name of Maciah Letrese. Maciah had a beautiful voice that was perfect for the band, but she moved out of state so she was only with the band for a short while. While we were with Maciah, we released a track entitled ‘Swing’ on all streaming platforms. It’s awesome and features Levi Rozek on trumpet as well. After Braeden left for college in August 2021, we added Aidan Board to the group as our new drummer. With Aidan and the three of us original members, our whole vibe changed. Suddenly we became a four-piece jam band powerhouse and started covering the likes of Phish, the Dead, and Pink Floyd.”

Jay Thornbury said, “We all picked up singing to keep the energy up, and we’ve been gigging frequently the past couple years and having a ton of fun.”

He attributes his NHS band director dad and the NHS band program for helping his band succeed.

“My dad helped me get started with music and the program he helped build at Noblesville was a tremendous help to developing my skills as a musician,” Jay Thornbury said. “Without the connections I made through the band program, I would not have been able to start a band in the first place. He never had much creative influence on the band, but having him to help network has been a big help to book gigs in the past.”

For more about the Indy Gorgeous Club, visit www.indygorgeousclub.com and IndyGorgeousClub on Facebook.

Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets for the Courthouse lawn and wear some comfortable shoes for dancing. See ya there! (Read about more things to do this weekend and beyond in today’s edition of The Times)