Pucker up for the new band in town.
Pucker Up! is a local Scranton punk band that released its debut album “I HARDLY KNOW HER” on Oct. 14, 2024.
The album contains nine songs, with varying sounds and concepts portrayed. The opening song “ODE TO THE UNCOMFORTABLE” shows their vulnerable side when losing someone close to their hearts, to the playful sound of “CREOLE” juxtaposing their frustration with questions and others’ perceptions about their race and with “CRUCIBLE” turning the previous longing into a complete avoidance.
Members Awnshae Smith, who goes by Shug, and Tanner Snyder are cousins, while Shug and Demi Belzer were long-time best friends, who met early in school. Eventually, Shug would introduce the two future bandmates together to form Pucker Up! in July 2023.
They play the East Coast; to New York City and Philadelphia, and all the way to Maryland and Delaware. They shared their favorite place to perform: the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.
“There’s a vibe here, it’s just very welcoming and a cool space to be a part of,” Belzer said.
“The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scene is iconically the spot to be especially in the genre that we align ourselves with. We grew up listening to the bands that came out of this area,” Shug added.
The stage for Pucker Up! is more than performing in front of a crowd: it’s a warm, sincere relationship between the musician and the listener.
“Taking lightning and putting[it] inside a bottle and then putting [it] into your chest, that energy you get from it and that goes around the room makes you want to play even harder and faster,” Snyder explains.
Music is an important part of everyone’s life, whether to set a mood, relax or feel. It can fill the empty air or be played to enjoy, regardless, there’s no escaping it.
“Music is always there, somewhere. It’s shaped us in one way,” Belzer says.
To Pucker Up!, music is more than creating. Music is a key part of their lives. The band is their passion, with them having jobs to help pay the bills. The three of them didn’t create the band necessarily to earn money; however, they would like for it to.
“I want to be a musician, not like a bartender in a band or a therapist in a band, just a musician,” Shug says.
Pucker Up! is one of a kind, and there’s no doubt that they still have more of them to show. Watch this Scranton-born band grow by checking out their Instagram and Facebook, where they post their upcoming gigs and more.
Contact the Writer: [email protected]
