The all-female band Worm Shot recently headlined its first show recently, after months of opening for other bands.
It’s been a rapid ascent since the group first came together during the last throes of the pandemic. Gina Hoang began playing drums only a month before the band’s inception.
“I learned to play bass and guitar when I was in high school, but I never thought I’d ever take up drums, let alone preform in a band playing drums,” said Hoang.
The band prepares a new set list for every show. For their first ever headlining show, they played nearly double the amount of songs they are used to.
Lead guitarist Liv Rogers is no stranger to the stage, having spent her high school years performing with a different local band, Aurora 1621.
“I didn’t expect to be asked to headline a show so early on into being a band. I never got to headline with Aurora and it’s a little scary. I feel really prepared though, I’m planning on just getting up there and having fun,” Rogers said in an interview before their big headlining debut.
Liv Rogers shows off the custom guitar pick she engraved with the band’s name.
In the band’s final practice before their big show, they ran through their entire set, stopping to work through every missed cue.
Liv Rogers reflected on how preparing for a high-pressure show with Worm Shot differs from her previous experiences. “We’re all friends here, so it doesn’t feel like a personal attack when someone tells me I’m doing something wrong. It’s honestly just way less stressful and I feel like I can focus on actually doing a good job with the music.”
Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Baylor Lucky also shared her nervousness about headlining. “The scariest part for me is going last,” Lucky said. “Playing with two other bands, especially ones that have been playing so much longer than us, means people might not expect much from us. I also feel like I mess up on my vocals a lot when I’m nervous, so I just hope that doesn’t happen.”
After weeks of anticipation, almost every member’s nerves evaporated after the first few songs in their set during the outdoor performance when the weather also cooperated. “The audience seemed like they were really enjoying our music and they reacted well to my corny little jokes” said Lucky.
Even after the other members relaxed, Rogers could not take a calming breath until after the final song. I Wanna Be A Cowboy, the band’s most popular song, relies on Rogers to sing alone and perform a guitar solo. Her hard work pays off and she pulls off both the solo and the vocals. “That’s the best I’ve ever played it live” said Rogers.