SBH brings act to Glass City

Not many bands will plaster their telephone numbers on their MySpace pages with a banner that reads “Call us now.”  But pop, punk-rock band School Boy Humor isn’t your typical band. In fact, the four-member crew has such an appreciation for their fans that they actually take time out of their hectic tour schedule to personally call and thank their fans for their support. 

“Our fans are amazing,” said Phil Evans, guitarist and vocalist for the band. “They’ve been really loyal and we try to stay in contact with them as much as possible. Sometimes we call in the middle of the night and we’ve got some interesting responses when we did that. We’re on tour so much that it gets harder and harder to stay connected, and by having fans call and leave a message, it helps keep us in contact.”

Toledo fans will get a taste of what the up-and-coming band has to offer when they kick-off their 2009 tour with Rookie of the Year on March 31 at Frankie’s.

Hailing from Little Rock, Ark., School Boy Humor has built a reputation out of combining catchy lyrics and sing-a-long hooks with relatable topics such as following your dreams and the up and downs of relationships. The band formed in 2004 and consists of vocalists and guitarists Anthony Evans and Phil Evans, drummer Greg Scherer and bassist and vocalist Caleb Spillyards.

In February 2009, the band released their first full-length, self-titled album. According to Evans, the album began as a typical punk album, covering topics such as relationships and girlfriends and as the creative process progressed, the group began to explore more in-depth issues. Evans said, “Camera Shy,” an up-tempo song about a girl scared to in love, is one of the band’s favorite songs on the album and is a fan favorite. 

“At first it was really generic and as we started writing about being on the road, touring and living our dreams it became something else,” Evans said.

Although “School Boy Humor” is the band’s first full-length album, prior to that they had released some of their music through iTunes. Like many bands, the guys said the Internet, MySpace in particular, has played a crucial role in their success. Evans said a large portion of SBH fans first discovered the group on MySpace. Along with being able to call the band and leave voice mails, fans can also listen to the band’s latest music, purchase SBH paraphernalia and read updated blogs posted by the guys.

“Without MySpace, we wouldn’t have been able to reach as many fans as we are,” Evans said. “It’s a way for us to interact with more people. We try to tour 215 days out of the year, and being on MySpace definitely helps us stay connected when we’re on the road.”

SBH is currently signed to indie label Vagrant Records. While most indie labels operate on smaller budgets, Evans said he and his fellow band mates enjoy the freedom that comes with being signed to an independent label.

“Some of the biggest tours are from indie labels,” Evans said. “Overall indies are more connected to each other and their fans. I think it’d be better to consider a major label later, but for a band in our position, an indie label is much better. They put less money into our first record but we owe them less and we make more money in the end. If we stayed with an indie label we could potentially be successful and if we signed to a major record label we could also be successful — there’s advantages in both.”

In previous interviews, the band has cited Blink-182 and New Found Glory as some of their musical inspirations.

As they gear up for their Toledo performance, Evans said fans can expect a high-energy and fun show.

“This is our second time in Toledo, and we definitely like to bring it and play the songs the kids want to hear,” he said.


— School Boy Humor will perform at Frankie’s Tuesday, March 31 at 4 p.m. For additional information, call 419-691-7464.

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