Ebb and flow

BY JOE PAYNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY IVAN DITSCHEINER

Bands often form and reform, almost like a natural occurrence. Local beach-rock band The Sandspits coalesced at none other than Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, uniting over a shared love of funky chill vibes in between engineering classes and schoolwork.

At the heart of The Sandspits are longtime friends Jack Vitek and Lucas Erickson, who represent drums and guitar, respectively. Vitek is currently a student at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, and Erickson is still at Cal Poly, which is where he met bassist Abby Neal and guitarist/vocalist Nilav Maulik, both also at Cal Poly. “We got to SLO and started, and we said we wanted to make some waves,” Erickson said.

But the formation of The Sandspits wasn’t predestined like the tides. When Erickson started school at Cal Poly, classes were entirely virtual as the school went into full lockdown mode during the height of the pandemic. Even still, he was able to meet Neal and Maulik, who have musical backgrounds but are all self-taught on their respective instruments. Erickson and Vitek have collaborated since high school, and first formed the band in 2021 with two double-sided singles, “The Haunted West” and “Dead Fellow.” Neal and Maulik joined the band later that year, contributing to their first full album, “Save Trestles,” which was recorded almost entirely across cyberspace.

“We were finding our footing, finding our musical style,” Erickson said, “because back then we weren’t playing shows . . . but now we are playing live.” When coronavirus restrictions were laxed, the SLO music scene came roaring back, and The Sandspits were there for it. Performing at local venues and house parties, the group has gained a local following of fellow Poly students and fans of their SoCal sound, seeing tens of thousands of streams on Spotify and some shows with hundreds of attendees.

Just about every weekend, Vitek takes to Highway 101 to join the group for practice and shows, enjoying the relaxed sessions at house shows and sunset-stained backyards. “SLO as a town . . . especially as someone who lives in Hollywood, I can’t wait to get back to SLO on the weekend,” Vitek said. “For me, the house shows are always going to be the most fun. I really like the house shows that we do for certain charities. We’ve played for a number of different foundations, and that’s fun because we still bring a number of people and it’s all for a good cause.”

The Sandspits have another album in the works, a further exploration of a sound steeped in the south and central Californian style of bands like Sublime and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their approach is laid back and funky, but there’s a technical acumen surprising for musicians of their years. Vitek’s drumming is crisp and crackling, which is no surprise considering his studious time at Musician’s Institute. Maulik’s guitar solos are astounding and informed by his background as a trained singer in Indian classical music. Erickson has a soulful voice and a knack for writing, conjuring the feel of sandy flip-flops in song. Neal fills the whole sound out with her nimble bass work, backed by years of piano and guitar study. “SLO has been great to us,” Erickson said. “It has been great to grow up as musicians in SLO… SLO especially will always be our home.” SLO LIFE

Interested in seeing what flows next from The Sandspits? Visit their website, thesandspitsband.com or find them on Instagram @thesandspits.