The members of Thicket bring varied musical experiences to the band, which they feel works to their creative advantage.

Thicket consists of two Simpson students, seniors Patrick File and Bill Lawson, and December graduate Jason Schmitz. Long-time member Greg Read is a recent University of Iowa graduate.

Schmitz and Read formed a band back in 1995, and many member changes later, it became the Thicket that exists now. Though these current members have only been together for a little over a year, they’ve experienced significant growth during that time.

Schmitz said that their style has developed greatly since the band originally began.

“We started playing right after the grunge scene, and our music was very simple back then. Now, we’ve gotten more musical with our lyrics,” Schmitz said.

Lawson agrees that a definite change has taken place since these four came together.

“Before, it was more like we were doing it just for fun, but now it’s as if there’s some kind of larger energy to it,” senior Bill Lawson said. “We’ve grown as a band so that we now play as one unit, and that makes us stronger with each performance.”

For Schmitz, the best part of working with these guys is the flow of creativity.

“When one of us brings an idea to the table, we all throw in our input and add our own interpretations,” Schmitz said. “I like watching these ideas take off and participating in bringing it to its final stages.”

Thicket prides itself on a unique style. Lawson says that their sound is somewhat unexpected, and that each show offers a different experience to the audience.

“There’s a lot of jazz influence with the improv we do,” Lawson said. “It’s all about the groove and getting people to move, and I think we do that pretty well for four white guys.”

“But, we can’t ignore our rock roots,” Lawson added. “Phish and Led Zeppelin are a couple rock bands that have had an affect on our music also.”

The band largely uses its own songs. Schmitz, Lawson and Read have all contributed lyrics, and Lawson promises “no Creed cover songs.”

“I write about a lot of spiritual things and make the music more personal,” Schmitz said. “I use my own experiences to tell stories that others can hopefully relate to.”

With the growth of the band, its members are considering ways to continue moving forward with their music. They are enjoying good crowd response lately, according to Lawson, and see that as a sign of good things yet to come.

Thicket can be heard at various places around Des Moines and Iowa City. Their next show will be tonight at Big Dog bar at 2222 Forest Ave. in Des Moines. They also hold a regular gig every other Sunday at Flanagan’s on Ingersoll.