Meet Robot Tennis Club | Indie Rock Trio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robot Tennis Club and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robot Tennis Club, why did you pursue a creative career?

Robot Tennis Club came to fruition when Laura Steadman and Nina Dorighi were pulled into a band by a music teacher in Denver. They hardly knew each other until one night when their other bandmates didn’t show up for rehearsal. Here, Laura was encouraged to share a song she’d been writing and the two instantly bonded thanks to the poignant vulnerability in the lyrics. The two were freshly out of their sophomore years of high school, though Laura’s songwriting experience had begun earlier in her middle school days. For Laura, music had always been the end goal. She spent an absurd amount of hours in her basement during her preteen years learning as many instruments as she could. Her stone cold determination at 14 hasn’t worn off. She brings a fearlessness and unrivaled motivation to the band.
Having never written songs before, Nina stepped right up to the plate with lyrics, melodies and guitar parts that she would sing so that her bandmates could play. Her musical journey began during the height of the pandemic where she spent the quarantine learning drums. Her collaboration with Laura rocketed her songwriting muscle into full force as she became more comfortable with sharing her writing and ideas. Later joined by Eli Schulz on bass, the power trio was built and ready to captivate audiences with their gritty, personal indie rock sound.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Professionally, we are still very early in our endeavor with Robot Tennis Club. But we feel proud of what we have accomplished. Every member of the band has a different opinion on what feat means most to them. The release of an album is a big one. It’s so cool to have a fully formed piece of work out, especially having seen the bare bones of where it came from. Also, we’ve become much more comfortable playing gigs over the past year. March 4th of last year was our first ever gig and it brings a smile to my face to see how far we’ve come since then in terms of stage presence, confidence and cohesion. Most of our challenges come from a place of self doubt or unsureness. It can be nerve wracking walking into a space that you don’t feel comfortable in. But we’ve always had the mindset that experience is the best way to learn. We are definitely prone to overthinking along with some perfectionist tendencies. So it’s easy to get stuck in loops of thinking and analyzing, but imperfect action is better than perfect inaction. Simply put, continuing to improve and learn and try is all we can hope to do. And all that we have direct control over.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Pursuing through Wax Trax records would definitely be on the agenda. The botanic gardens, especially in the summer, are very beautiful. As far as food, Crown Burger on Colorado and Evans would be my pick. Very good burgers and fries.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are several groups we could shout out that have aided us with advice, support and kindness. First off, musician and educator Chad Johnson (formally known as “Chadzilla”) initially brought us together and provided his studio where we initially rehearsed and wrote. The band never would have met or connected without the common thread of Chad. Over the past year we started our journey, dipping our toes in songwriting, recording and playing live. Everyone has been so gracious and supportive towards us. People like Alex Matis from Flora de Luna or Analee Knies from Autumnal who take time to give us advice and insight. The philosophy we hold revolves around learning through doing. And hearing supportive voices have really helped us feel more comfortable stepping into our own space.

Website: https://www.robottennisclub.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robottennisclub/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/robottennisclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robottennisclub

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC62DzXmYjCeoDvajlCpUbeQ

Image Credits
Jake Thompson Ayden Mullen