The Senators

Drawing folk-rockers and indie hipsters alike, The Senators visited the Arizona PBS studios to perform “Wild Wide Open” and “Build My Home.” Hailing from Phoenix, the band aspires to create a Valley presence in the Southwestern folk scene.

The two-piece band is made up of Jesse Teer and Quinn Scully and was recently listed on Billboard’s Next Big Sound charts.

According to the band’s website, The Senators describe their style of music as “blending sophisticated songcraft with humble pastoral sympathies, featuring poetic lyrics, uplifting harmonies and complex instrumental layers, lending to a more melodic branch of indie rock.”

The group recently recorded their sophomore album in the Catskill Mountains – an upstate New York country that folk legends like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell call home. With musical influences all around, band member Quinn Scully recollects his love of music from his parents.

“My dad ended up running the Orpheum Theatre in Flagstaff,” Scully said. “I grew up going backstage, hanging out and watching a bunch of soundchecks for all these cool bands. And then I started playing music myself when I was about nine and I haven’t stopped since then.”

Lead singer Jesse Teer describes his music venture as a “late transition into songwriting.” He played cello as a kid, only beginning to play folk music and acoustic guitar in college.

Through performances, both artists beam at the band’s ability to come together and influence an audience through music.

“I think the goal of the night is to create this connection and at that moment, everyone is on the same page. I think performing live music is that connection at the end of the day.”

Currently, the band is in the studio self-producing their third album for release next July and plan to hit the road in the U.S. and Europe next year.