One thing that people might not know about Tallahassee is the size of its active music scene. Several bands are well-known in the community and play at local bars, restaurants, and house shows. That said, I’ve had the privilege to talk with one of these bands.
Formed by two Tallahassee locals, the band Almost has been prominent in the city’s music scene. I talked with them about where they came from, the inspiration for their music, and what it’s like to be in a band while in college.
Her Campus at FSU (HC): What are your names, and what instruments do you each play?
Robert Mueller (RM): My name is Robert Mueller, and I play the guitar.
Zach Juhlin (ZJ): My name is Zach Juhlin, and I play the drums.
Jake Van Lenten (JVL): My name is Jake Van Lenten, and I play bass guitar for Almost.
HC: When did you guys become a band?
RM: Zach and I played in a band before this and kept playing together as a unit. We spent months writing things. After Jake came along, we released an album.
ZJ: We became a solid band in the fall of 2024.
HC: Where do you find inspiration for your music?
ZJ: I say, stylistically, Origami Angel and Mom Jeans. We also take inspiration from Remo Drive.
RM: Songwriting with Almost is unique; we write in a very angsty genre. But I have a hard time being very angsty. We write songs about things we genuinely love in our lives and things that we would miss if they weren’t there. Again, I have a hard time being angsty, and I’ve never written a song because I was mad at someone or something.
ZJ: The angst is in proper doses.
RM: Jake carries our wrath for us.
HC: What’s your favorite memory of playing with this band?
JVL: I would have to go with the first show we played at 926 Bar & Grill. We had been practicing a lot until then. I had to learn all the songs, we had to be tight as a band, and that first show was very magical. It was the most packed I’ve ever seen. I remember looking at Rob during one of our song breaks and thinking, “This is so epic.”
HC: What are each of your favorite songs from your most recent album, Different People, Different Places?
ZJ: I would have to say “Dropkick.” It’s fun to play live, and I like how it turned out in the recording. It hasn’t gotten old, even though I play it every set.
JVL: Mine would be “Santa Fe.” It’s a great song to listen to and play.
RM: Since we did the record ourselves, the records became separate, evil things. That makes it hard just to pick one. But I would have to say, “Alone.” I like it and am proud of it. I wrote that song on my crappy acoustic guitar after my first trip to New Orleans to visit my long-term long-distance girlfriend, Emma. It was a week-long trip, and I pretended to go to school there. I stole a bit of my friend’s song and asked him if I could use it, and he said yes.
HC: What’s the goal of the music you create?
ZJ: I mean, there’s a sense of personal fulfillment for me. Creating music with my friends is one of my favorite things in life. Having the opportunity to share that with people and have them be receptive to it is awesome.
JVL: It’s a great sickness I need to expel from my body sometimes. There are a lot of times when I’m at work, and I have this overwhelming urge to play, and I need to get it out.
HC: Where do you see yourselves after college?
ZJ: In my dream of dreams, I’m making something out of this. Many think of success as a band as selling out Madison Square Garden. But, I would love to tour with bands I adore and have a life creating music that other people can enjoy.
RM: I don’t know, honestly. It depends on how everything shakes out. I would love it if I were still doing this in any capacity. If not, I’ll blow up.
HC: What have you learned from being in a band?
RM: I’ve been given this curse, and my musical criteria has greatly changed. Now, I have a hard time listening to songs and not picking out the parts. Before, it would just be a wall of sound, and I just heard a song. Now, I experience sensory overload whenever I listen to music.
ZJ: I think playing with other people has given me insight into other details I can incorporate into the songwriting process. I take in ideas from different people with different voices and embed them into our songs. My music taste has also diversified.
HC: If you could describe your band and music in the sense of a painting, how would you describe it?
ZJ: Have you ever seen a Jackson Pollock painting?
RM: It’s like someone did a rough pencil sketch of a church, splattered a bunch of paint on it, and walked away. Maybe they drew a bunch of little cartoon guys all over it.
JVL: It’s a little doodle on the edge of your homework.
HC: What are your pre-show rituals?
RM: I get very nervous, very reliably. If I start to feel anxious, I run ice water over my wrists, which ignites an adrenaline reaction.
ZJ: I get pre-show anxiety. To work around that, I like to joke with my friends and get to know the people at the venue where we’re performing. I run around, act like a goofball, and channel my anxiety into excitement for having fun on stage.
JVL: I think I just urinate to get my nerves out. I may eat something small because I don’t want to be too full while playing. But I also don’t want to play on an empty stomach or the “hunger monster” comes out. No one likes the hunger monster.
HC: What should listeners expect from Almost within the next year?
ZJ: A lot more original music.
JVL: We got merch, baby!
RM: We got some things cookin’.
ZJ: More shows, more music, and more fun.
If you want to keep in touch with Almost, follow them on Instagram and check out their most recent album, Different People, Different Places!
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