Skyler, Austin, and Nick are Fools. The band formed when they were in high school, through an extracurricular group devoted to art students called "The Guild." Nick recalls, "It was a place people could be free to express themselves." The trio said their music is constantly getting better and their latest EP demonstrates their growth as musicians.

Skyler and Austin. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

This lovely trio is from Coos Bay, Oregon. Coos Bay has Timebomb, which is a unique venue that's a thrift store and a skate shop that occasionally hosts shows for all ages. They said it felt like a punk rock show because of the aesthetic. Skyler and Austin played a lot of shows as the Real Smoothies there. Then, Skyler and Austin decided to move up to Eugene, Oregon for more show opportunities because of all the venues here. The two decided to live with Nick and since they were living together, they decided to make music together and Fools was born!

Skyler uses his beanie to stop the microphone from shocking him. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

Their Facebook page describes themselves as "Alternative rock or w h a t e v e r." As a result, sometimes Fools' music doesn't always fit the genre of the other bands at a show. Skyler mentioned a recent show where the booker accidentally called them instead of the more punk-rock band Fools, so their music definitely didn't fit the genre of the show.

Austin. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

"I can't love anything else as much as I can love a dog," said Austin.

Skyler. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

All four of us bought drinks at Vero before the interview, and when I asked Skyler what his happiest moment was, he said, "Nothing makes me as happy as this smoothie."

Skyler's collection of pins on his guitar strap. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

Lady Le Swamp and Landslide are Fools favorite songs of their own. Austin said, "Lady Le Swamp is the song that makes me the proudest. It took so much practice and it shows our growth."

Nick. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

Nick's happiest moment with the band was the fourth annual Buddystock in Mount Hood, Oregon on July 28th, 2018. He said it was one of the prettiest places he's ever performed and he could see the river from where they were. Buddystock is a special event, by-invite-only on a private property. Austin said, "The view was insane! You could actually see Washington and the river flowing! There were bands all day and it had a Woodstock feel...on a smaller scale." They performed twice in one day there! They were the first band in the morning and there weren't a lot of people there, SO later in the day, they performed for a larger crowd because the hosts of the festival enjoyed their music enough to have them perform again!

Skyler featuring Nick in the background. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

Nick's happiest music-related memory is when he was on tour with the Lane Jazz Band. They played for elementary schools and one time, one of the students mentioned he wanted to play the drums but his parents wouldn't let him. "All of us were encouraging him to go for it and follow his passions and it really touched me because I was helping these students and our music had obviously touched them," said Nick.

Skyler. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

Skyler wrote a song for a girl in high school and put it on YouTube. It got a bunch of views, but he started joining bands and improving his musical ability so he decided to make the video private in 2014. Shortly after he made the song private, someone Facebook messaged him and asked why he took it down and said that they would play the song on repeat every day and it really helped them go through a rough patch. "I didn't realize my music could help someone else and change someone's life. It's why I'm still doing it," said Skyler.

Skyler and Austin. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

"My happiest moment was when I got my Thunderbird for my 18th birthday and graduation gift. Normally, I would've cheaped out and gotten something less expensive, but my uncle and aunt got the legit Thunderbird for me!" said Austin. He discussed how the body design of the bass really grew on him and encouraged him to learn how to play the bass as b as he can. His uncle also taught him how to play a power chord, and Austin said, "Discovering power chords really encouraged me to pursue music."

Skyler and Austin. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

The trio's three favorite foods:

Mac and cheese with bacon is Skyler's favorite.

Pork fried rice is Austin's favorite, but only when done well.

On the other hand, Nick prefers anything with shrimp, saying "shrimp is dank."

Skyler and Nick. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

Some of Fools musical influences are Weezer, Green Day, and Gorillaz. Austin also enjoys Mac DeMarco and Blur.

Nick. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

Some of Nick's musical influences are Vulfpeck, Snarky Puppy, Anderson PAAK, Thundercat and Flying Lotus.

Skyler, Nick, and Austin. Photo by Ashley McMurray.

A fun fact about every member of the band:

Skyler doesn't get brain freezes EVER.

Austin is the tallest member of the band.

Nick is the only one who isn't a redhead.