Local Indie Band The Forum Talks New Tour, “Spring Fling Tour Thing”

As much as we love Gainesville, sometimes you just have to get out and see the rest of the world… or at least the rest of Florida for now.

The Forum, an indie band from Gainesville is taking their talents on the road this weekend from Gainesville to Jacksonville and then to Tampa.

Built up of Michael Higgins, Nick Wheeler, Jacob Farrell and Alex Klausner, the group is excited to see some of the familiar faces they’ve connected with at previous shows across the state and to play alongside other up-and-coming musicians.

Their self-titled “Spring Fling Tour Thing” is certain to be both a hectic weekend of travel and a great way to bring more people into the space they’re creating with their music. The band said that when they are on the road traveling, it feels like there is nothing else in the world that they should be doing.

The band members found their way to each other after a string of Craigslist ads and undeniable coincidences. Realizing the circumstances were more centered around fate than chance, The Forum started writing music together in the fall of 2015. Their first EP “Illuminate” came to form in 2017 and allowed the band to establish a creative direction.

I find that a lot of people associate the indie genre with something more light-hearted and delicate, but that isn’t really the case when it comes to The Forum’s music.

Each of their songs seem to carry an emotional weight that causes your synapses to fire. Your brain is snapped into focus and you instinctively want to decipher the encoded meanings of each song. Higgins shared that a lot of their writing is inspired by people they interact with.

“A lot of the stuff that we write isn’t about us; it’s about other people,” he said. “I blend other people’s stories that I see. Whether it’s friends or life events people go through, it inspires me because everybody has their own stuff that they’re dealing with.”

As a telecommunications major at the University of Florida, Higgins said he is also very visually inspired, especially by film. Their song “Blue Jay” was based off of a black and white film that both Higgins and Wheeler happened to find separately on Netflix.

For a while, it was uncertain if the band was going to last. With a few of the members graduating, they were faced with the urgency of moving on and assimilating into the “adult world.”

“I always assumed that as college ended, so would The Forum, but this past year it got to the point where it made sense to at least try to keep going. I guess it became harder to try to be like, ‘yeah, it’ll be over,’” Higgins said.

It took a night out at Barcade to put things into perspective.

“We avoided that conversation for months, like we knew it was coming and then that one night we just started talking about it and we felt the same,” Wheeler chimed in.

I always assumed that as college ended, so would The Forum, but this past year it got to the point where it made sense to at least try to keep going. I guess it became harder to try to be like, ‘yeah, it’ll be over.’

The guys agreed that post-graduate confusion was no reason to stop making music.

With summer approaching, the band will have more time to do some writing and really fine tune their work. Their hope is to have an EP ready to set loose to the world by the fall.

“Even after the longest week of my entire life, still getting in a room and writing music feels the same way it did two years ago,” Wheeler said. “You would think that the longer we do this that feeling would kind of die out, but it doesn’t ever do that.”

They shared that it is one of the most humbling experiences to look out into a crowd at a show and see people singing along. Higgins said it almost even makes him feel embarrassed, like he’s the one singing along with them.

Even after the longest week of my entire life, still getting in a room and writing music feels the same way it did two years ago. You would think that the longer we do this that feeling would kind of die out, but it doesn’t ever do that.

The Forum has a very active fanbase online and even a few fans that made a group message to stay up to date with the band’s work. This dedication is directly linked to how accessible the band members make themselves. They said they love talking to people after shows because they like to bug other musicians after seeing them perform.

With such a welcoming approach to their music career, I guess the only controversial thing about the band is their unanimous support for pineapple on pizza. Taking a stance on one of the most debated topics of the century might scare away some fans, but we will let you be the judge of that.

To see if The Forum are headed to a city near you, check out their Facebook page and be sure to give them some love on Spotify.

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