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Bug Stomp: A San Marcos band on the rise
- Lexi Thurman
- May 20
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 11
Indie rock group, made up of high school and college students, lands itself on some of San Diego’s biggest stages.
Written by Lexi Thurman | Edited by Sofia Alvarez
"The first time we played SOMA, we walked on stage and everybody was screaming…I was like, ‘Okay, here's a physical manifestation of all of our work right in front of us.' It felt really cool."
As if it were straight out of a movie, a rock band emerged from their parents’ garage in San Marcos, Calif., sending the ruckus of guitar and drums echoing throughout their neighborhood.
Formed in May of 2023, indie/emo rock band, Bug Stomp, has made its mark on the San Diego music scene. The group has performed at many notable venues such as SOMA San Diego, Music Box, The Che Café, and The Casbah.
Bug Stomp is made up of four members: Luke Primicias (lead vocals/bass), Jake Hedquist (rhythm guitar/vocals), Garrett Duffy (lead guitar) and Jonah Ressmer (drums).
They have had a number of memorable moments while sharing the stage with one another, according to Hedquist and Duffy, but perhaps the most significant one so far was the first time they performed at SOMA San Diego. It was the moment they knew they were gaining traction in the music industry.
“The first time we played SOMA, we walked on stage and everybody was screaming…That was probably the first time I was like, ‘Okay, here's a physical manifestation of all of our work right in front of us.’ It felt really cool,” Duffy said in an interview that featured both guitarists.
The band has gained an audience, with nearly 2,700 Instagram followers and over 900 monthly Spotify listeners. Their No. 1 song, “Freaking Out,” has garnered over 15,000 streams.
The two members recognized artists such as Hot Mulligan, Belmont, American Football, Tiny Moving Parts, Eric Johnson and Extreme for having large influences on the band’s sound.
Bug Stomp has released two EPs: “Through A Window” and “Mess Hall.” The band’s first album, “Having, Having Twice,” was released on April 11.
“[The album’s] got everything from energetic arena sound to underground indie scene sound…I feel like the first EP was energized garage, and then the second one was indie and sadder. This [album] is a mix,” Duffy said.
He also added that the music in “Having, Having Twice” is the most technically advanced they have produced thus far, explaining how they pushed themselves to create more complex instrumental and vocal parts this time around.
While detailing their writing process, Hedquist stated that their songs typically arise from a chord progression on guitar that is then presented to the rest of the band for them to “jam it out.” Lyrics, however, often come later in the affair.
Hedquist shared insight into the band’s lyric writing process in a recent episode of Telescope Talks, a podcast produced by Palomar College’s independent newspaper.
“Most of our songs, it’s either me or our lead singer kind of just free styling…we kind of just wait until we go record it and then come up with [lyrics],” Hedquist said.
Despite their recent album release, Bug Stomp’s music production shows no sign of slowing down.
According to Hedquist, the band hopes to release an acoustic EP in the summer and an electric EP toward the end of the year.
Bug Stomp’s latest album “Having, Having Twice” is available wherever you listen to music.
You can find Bug Stomp on Instagram @itsbugstomp, on TikTok @bugstompp, and on YouTube @Bug-Stomp.
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Update: This story was updated on May 27 to include a revised number of Instagram followers and monthly Spotify listeners.
Looooooove this!
Neat stuff!
Also, First!