Lakewood is known as a hub of local talent in Northeast Ohio, a reputation reinforced by a local musical group gaining traction within the city. The band, known as Roadkill, consists of five students from Lakewood High School and is beginning to make a name for itself in the local music scene.

Roadkill started a little over one year ago as just an idea when bassist Jacob Gaal asked guitarist and vocalist Sebastian Bukys to form a band. The duo later recruited guitarist and vocalist Adam Tanina and guitarist Patrick Toader. Once drummer Gian Frederick joined the group over the summer, the band formally became known as Roadkill.

“I was way late, six months after the band formed,” Frederick said. “They were like, ‘Gian, we need a drummer,’ and I was like, ‘I play drums.’”

Roadkill recently performed a backyard show on Nov. 28, marking their first live performance. Roadkill described itself as a mix of punk and grunge. The band draws inspiration from a variety of groups to create a sound unique to it. Bands such as Anthrax, Blink 182, Hum, and Slowdive were all named as major inspirations for the sound and tone of the group.

“[We] play music, not to show how good [we] are to other people,” said guitarist and vocalist Sebastian Bukys, “but to show how good the music is, and it’s just a great feeling seeing other people enjoying what we’re doing and coming to see us. It’s really cool.”

This show consisted mainly of cover songs, as the band has not yet written much original content. Despite this, they plan to create original songs in the coming months.

“[The music] is in the workshop,” Frederick said. “By January, we’re gonna start writing.”

Roadkill spent much of the summer and fall rehearsing, dedicated to preparing for their first set of shows.

“We started practicing in Parma, we had to drive 30 minutes to even play music,” said Gaal.​

Their first show was a backyard jam meant to create traction and encourage venues to book them.​ Their concert debut was a success. Roadkill booked two more shows in the coming weeks to expand their visibility.

“You know, just aside from the experience, it’s a lot different from practicing. We built this [band],” Frederick said. “We’re the ones that orchestrated it. We bought everything, and we played everything. This was us. This wasn’t like an orchestrated, other entity, kind of playing wheels, right? Which makes it more scary, but more fun.”

​On Dec. 13, they will play a second backyard show at 10600 Notabene Drive in Parma Heights. On Jan. 3, Roadkill will perform at the Lemon Seeds Music School in Lakewood. The Parma Heights show will be free, and the Lemon Seeds concert will cost $2.

​“When I go to a show, and I see people up there, and I see people in the crowd, and everyone’s just enjoying themselves, that’s inspiring to me,” said Bukys. “I see them up there. I was like, ‘That’s what I want to be.’ I want to do it.”

Roadkill is a group driven by passion for the music they make. While high school bands often come and go, this group has the lasting power to be one of the Lakewood scene’s enduring acts. Expect to see them around for a while.