Set to Throw Down Downtown.

Written by Kimberly Leone this article was originally published on InFocus section of Rappahannock Magazine. (http://rappahannockmag.com/)

Siobhan Young Photography.

Set to Sail sets sail along East Cost, sticks with music dreams

“Your whole life is falling apart. Want to join my punk band?”

And that’s how 21-year-old Spotsylvania-native Trevor Courtney became the bass player for local pop punk band, Set to Sail.

Trevor works with Set to Sail’s 23-year-old front man, Trai Foltz. Trai describes music as something that makes him feel alive, makes him feel connected. He relishes performing live “because a lot of people hurt and have things in life that suck. I feel like we can connect for a little bit and go through it together.”

Makes sense the intuitive, mop-headed Trai saw Trevor needed Set to Sail at the same time the fledgling band happened to need a new bass player. “There are many, many reasons to do music,” Trevor says. “For me music is that outlet that always gets me through.”

The four-man group originally began in 2013 with a different name and different musicians headed a different direction, but as band members came and went, Trai took to Craigslist in 2014 to find new members who would commit to the hard work that could lead to someday paying the bills with music. Trai found David Moffat, Set to Sail’s guitarist and resident “screamer,” via Craigslist. David rounded out the four-man band with another Craigslist ad that attracted drummer Ryan Vanover.

“I was getting ready to quit on music,” says David. “I thought it would be hard to put together a solid group of young musicians in this area.” In the past 18 months or so, David’s faith in young, local musicians has been restored as Set to Sail released an EP titled “Filled with Gaps,” heads out on a two-week East Coast tour in August, and will hit the studio upon their return to put together their first LP.

Craigslist and a rough patch brought the current band members together. A little competitive sibling rivalry and some supportive parents brought this group of young musicians to music. Trai, originally from Fairfax, Va., says “music flows through his veins” with the music bug biting both sides of his family.

“Both my parents play music and love that I decided to explore my options with this band,” he says. “The biggest way my family has supported me is by refraining from the whole ‘you’ll never make it’ lecture.”

20-year-old drummer, Ryan, also has supportive parents to thank for the confidence and freedom to follow his musical aspirations. Teenage Ryan asked his parents for a drum set after a few half-hearted attempts to learn to play guitar.

“They took a shot and got me my first drum set. I fell in love and played nonstop,” Ryan says.

For David and Trevor, a bit of competitiveness and inspiration from their brothers pushed them into the business of making music. Trevor discovered a passion for music by watching his brother take guitar lessons and passionately wanting “to outdo him.” Eventually Trevor’s brother found other interests, but Trevor was hooked. “The more I played and practiced the more I fell in love with it.”

David grew up immersed in music, with long family car rides across his native West Virginia filled with classic rock and musicals with a rock opera bent. His parents and all four of his siblings play music and have put in time as working musicians. Blown away by a couple of his brother’s performances, he sees the tipping point in a Coheed and Cambria concert he attended. “Best night of my life. I knew I wanted to make other people feel the way they made me feel that night.”

The rewards of the energy and emotion they get from their audience seems to overpower the long hours of day jobs that precede rehearsals and shows. While David and Ryan ensure restaurant patrons get their fajitas hot and their margaritas cold, Trai and Trevor keep an eye on gas pumps, cashiers, and a rather extensive menu for a local Sheetz. Despite early mornings and long days, the foursome shows up to even midweek, late night shows with no sign they’ve already put in full workday.

Loud. Sweaty. Impassioned.

Like the splash zone at SeaWorld, a safe distance of about three feet is recommended between the crowd and Set to Sail. That’s about how far the sweat flies as Trai dishes out the lyrics and David backs him up with sometimes surprisingly harmonic screaming. Ryan and Trevor provide a constant, if not somewhat frenetic, foundation. The combination beats its way into your head and fills that anxious, angry, stressed out space. The space where overdue bills hang out. Where angry bosses and disappointed parents dwell. Where life’s mistakes, setbacks and failures take up residence to waste your time and slow you down. There’s something insistent about Set to Sail’s music that refuses to let the crowd ignore it, punk music fan or not.

Wiser than his years, Trai, who writes most of the band’s songs recognize the risks of those self-inflicted distractions and speed bumps. He writes from his own experiences and the band collectively strives to create music their listeners can relate to and gain momentum from.

“Don’t be afraid to commit to the future,” Trai says. “If you want something, go for it, but the second you do, you can’t allow yourself to give up or be distracted. If you’re afraid to do something or take the next step, force yourself to do it. You won’t regret it.”

This attitude and a stubborn refusal to quit coupled with support from a few local venue owners and lots of support from friends and family keeps Set to Sail going and gives them material for creating new music. The band members can’t stop thanking the Grog and Tankard Sports Bar or their friends.

“Our friends have been fantastic! We’ve had tremendous turnouts for shows for the most part. Friends have filled in on bass and drums, made flyers, shared our posts on social media,” says David. “And the owner of the Grog (The Grog and Tankard Sports Bar) has always treated us well.”

“My friends come to a majority of our shows and I can never repay them for that,” adds Trai. “We have played at The Grog and Tankard multiple times and they always get excited when we show up.”

And Trevor points out that his girlfriend was a life saver or rather a tour saver, offering up her mini-van for the band to use for its upcoming tour.

“It’s such a cliché thing for a band to say,” Ryan chimes in, “but we all love each other to death. These guys have shown me time and time again that they will always have my back and help me through anything.”

Set to Sail calls Fredericksburg home, but have toured successfully with their unique blend of 90’s and modern punk styles (Trai says “think The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus”) in venues in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania this summer.

Catch them tonight at Art Mart for DOWNTOWN THROW-DOWN!

1405 Princess Anne St., FXBG

6-9pm $7 cover

Flyer #MadeInFXBG by Justin Young.