Stay Here : Keeping It Real In A City On The Rise
Written By Frequency ATL
Interview By Trudie Storck
Photos by Ellen Arden
Stay Here formed in 2017, first taking shape as a high-school pop-punk project before sharpening their voice within Atlanta’s DIY community. Their debut single, Piedmont, quickly put them on the map, and early performances helped cement their place in the scene long before they found the sound they’re known for now. The four-piece — Parker Phillips (vocals/guitar), Julian Chawla (guitar), Jonah Jernigan (bass), and Rene Acuña (drums) — have been steadily climbing through the city’s growing DIY rock scene with their latest release, Bad Times, a record that blends emotional weight with hard-hitting riffs and a performance style that never tries too hard to be anything except real.
Fresh off a run of local shows and already writing for the next phase of their sound, the band sat down with Frequency ATL last week to talk about collaboration and the grind of building community the old-fashioned way.
“We don’t really care about being trendy. It’s cool that we can just do what we want.” — Rene
Building Bad Times
The writing process for Bad Times began during lockdown. Julian performed a lot of the ground work for the songs by diving into home recording — programming drums, layering guitars and bass — before sending rough versions to Parker and Rene. Once the band rehearsed together, the songs shifted into their actual forms.
Julian says, “The demos let us hear the shape of the song before we hit the studio, but Rene always rewrites the drums. None of us can write drum parts the way he does.”
Rene puts it simply: “They hand me very basic tracks and then I come in and make it my own.”
Lyrics, meanwhile, go through what Parker jokingly calls “the court.”
“We’re collaborative,” Parker says. “So, if we all think a lyric sucks, it’s gone.”
A Song That Defines Them
The band agrees that God’s Gift is a turning point in their sound. For Julian, it was the moment Stay Here stopped being boxed in by comparisons.
“People kept comparing us to bands we didn’t really feel aligned with,” he says. “God’s Gift was us saying — no, we can be a heavy hard hitting band, that’s how I’ve always seen this band.”
The song carries emotional weight, too. Parker wrote the lyrics after his grandmother passed away.
“There’s a line, ‘hear the porcelain angels sing,’” Parker says. “And that literally happened. She passed in her sleep and soon as we all gathered in her house a little music-box figurine started playing on its own. It was pretty cool.”
No Trend Chasing
When asked how Stay Here balances staying true to their style and experimenting with new or trending sounds, the band was quick to respond that they always write music that feels right for the band. Noting that Stay Here won’t chase what’s popular or attempt to define their sound.
Parker says, “We don’t even really know what our style is. We write what feels right. If we come back to a song a week later and hate it, we throw it out. It’s a lot of trial and error.”
Rene, adds: “We don’t really care about being trendy. It’s cool that we can just do what we want.”
“And we’re not trying to fit ourselves into any kind of puzzle,” adds Parker.
A Street Team Philosophy
Some bands build their audience on trendy social media platforms but Stay Here steers away from gimmicks, opting to engage in the music community by talking to people in person and hanging out after shows. They mention the importance of canvasing at large scale national shows, talking to the lines outside, engaging in conversation with potential new fans, and getting people excited to come to the next Stay Here gig.
“Face-to-face marketing is a lost art. We hand out a lot of flyers and business cards with QR codes to our songs,” Julian says.
Rene nods. “Its a whole grind, but it works.”
Gear Talk
When Stay Here starts talking gear, the conversation shifts from jokes to a serious chat about the go-to pieces of equipment that shape the band’s tone.
Parker swears by his Reverend guitar. Sturdy enough for the road, bright enough to define the band’s live presence. Julian, who doubles as a guitar repair tech, mentions the band’s love for the Electro-Harmonix Pitchfork pedal, which he uses on almost every lead, sometimes layering octaves to build a fuller tone. His main guitar, a black Fender Strat, has been modified to the point that nothing stock remains.
Rene’s loyalty lies with Zildjian cymbals and Vic Firth’s Extreme 5B drumsticks. “I’d rather die than play anything else. And I hate nylon tips, I think they’re tacky.” he says. He lets his drum setup evolve, modding for each show to keep the sound tight. Jonah keeps it straight forward with his Fender P-Bass, and as Julian puts it, “the Fender P-Bass is the bass tone of our band.”
The Atlanta Scene
The band notices something shifting in the Atlanta scene and offers good advice to musicians starting up.
“A lot of younger bands are rediscovering early 2000s alt and emo,” Julian says. “Younger bands are really reinventing that sound. So, it’s a very strong time for alternative and punk music right now and Atlanta has a really great scene, people just don’t talk about it enough.”
When asked about bands they felt needed more attention, they were quick to throw out a laundry list of bands; Bummer Hill, Velvet Edge, Honeyknife, Intention, Mitaya, Ricochet Star, Tier Blue, and long-time friends Silly Goose and The Callous Daoboys.
“Both Silly Goose and The Callous Daoboys have been very kind to us and have asked us to open their shows and have exposed us to their fan base,” Julian notes.
Stay Here is quick to not romanticize the grind of being in a band and they don’t recommend chasing it for the wrong reasons. Their advice for new musicians is simple: do it because you love it, not because you’re trying to get famous or impress anyone. The work is hard, the reward is inconsistent, and some nights you’ll play to three people while the other band draws ninety. “You gotta really like the people you’re doing it with,” Julian says. “You’re going to spend a lot of time together.” They also stress the importance of the basics; practice often, care about your craft, and don’t get hung up on internet numbers. They don’t matter nearly as much as showing up and doing the work.
What’s Next For Stay Here
The band is currently writing new material with eyes set on 2026 for their next release. They want the next project to be their biggest and most intentional work yet.
And yes — they’re hitting the road in December, with nu metal revivalist Silly Goose for their “I Don’t Care About The Neighbors,” Tour.
Catch Silly Goose, BRKN Love, and Stay Here in a city near you:
12/12 Chattanooga, TN – JJ Bohmeias
12/13 Savannah, GA – The Sentient Bean
12/14 Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
12/16 Raleigh, NC – Kings
12/18 Washington, DC – DC9
12/19 Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
12/20 Indianapolis, IN – Hoosier Dome
12/21 St. Louis, MO – Atomic
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