If you attended the Backyard Bash on Sept. 7, you more than likely heard the rocking tunes of Eau Claire’s own, Uncommon Denominator.

UncommDenom originates from the UW-Eau Claire campus, dividing from the UW-Eau Claire jazz band around 2018 saying, “We were sick of playing the academia music and got together to play the music we wanted to play,”and has been fluctuating in musical members ever since. 

The band consists of a full rhythm section (Sam Lakmann on piano, Emily Watkins on guitar, Will DeBlaey on bass and Jackson Prestley on drums), a three-piece horn section (Jake Arnold on saxophone, Nicole Johnson on trumpet and Ben Phillips on trombone) and two vocalists (Chase Bucheger and Emily Watkins).

The band started out from small beginnings, and only three of the original members are still rolling with the band today. Over the years, the group has begun making its own reputation as a professional party band, performing at all venues and even participating in live stream events. 

Playing an assortment of cover songs ranging from Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson to Ke$ha and Beyonce, they claim the stage regardless of the genre, something that has certainly made them a jack-of-all-trades kind of band, catering to their audience and showing them a great time. Their stage presence and interaction with the audience is both fun and enjoyable, adding flair and style to their performance, overall.

Even through the pandemic, Uncommon Denominator continued to grow their audience via social media. With the use of YouTube, TikTok and a variety of other platforms, UncommDenom was able to bring the show to the viewers. Once restrictions let up, they found gigs lining up left and right, with more this week than in the last year, alone.

“It was a weird blessing in disguise,” said Nicole Johnson. “When you have to do live streams, then you, kind of, have to direct people to your social media in order for them to see it. So that allowed us to grow.”

Uncommon Denominator also said they had an awesome time performing at University of Wisconsin-Stout. Blue Devil Productions agreed saying “…it was a great way to kick off the fall year.”

Uncommon Denominator will be performing again in Eau Claire at The Cabin on Sept. 18 for those interested. Make sure to follow them on Twitter/Instagram at @uncommdenom, and check out their website at www.uncommon-denominator.com to learn more about their upcoming shows.

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