A funky, psychedelic jam band comprised of SIU alumni with roots in Carbondale’s basements found itself back in its hometown Saturday at Hangar 9 to the delight of many fans.

The groovy improvisation group Spread consists of four men who graduated from the university’s School of Music, where they initially met. The band consists of bassist Colin Finn, of Springfield; drummer Patrick Reynolds, of Arlington Heights; guitarist Nick Petrizzo, of Homer Glen; and wacky, enthusiastic keyboard player Steven Kaufman, of Decatur. Kaufman

contributes to the band’s vocals along with Finn and Petrizzo.

Although he grew up 3-and-half hours north, Kaufman said he keeps Carbondale close to his heart.

“I consider Carbondale to be my real home,” he said.

Kaufman said he dedicates nearly his entire life to performing and creating music, and he plays in two other bands.

Spread’s formation was like a chain reaction or domino effect, Petrizzo said.

“We met through the scene down here,” he said. “I came down here and met Colin, then we met Pat, and Steven found us.”

The band started performing in a friend’s basement at 212 Hospital Street and eventually played during numerous house parties throughout Carbondale, Finn said. The basement performances led to area bar shows.

Kaufman and Finn said Spread’s inspiration is similar to many other traveling bands.

They said the group has found deeper meaning to the spread of its improvisation talents aside from the cliché rockstar activities of all-night partying, swinging from trees, jumping off cliffs, half-naked mannequins and consumption of mass amounts of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

“You hear other musicians, and it just makes you want to get your chops up,” Finn said. “By listening to other bands, this definitely makes you want to be as best as you can be at your specific instrument.”

Apart from the rowdy routine, Kaufman said the opportunities life and dedication has presented to them is their most desirable influence in the performing arts industry.

“My inspiration is life, and my influences are mostly the Grateful Dead,” he said.

Petrizzo said when they aren’t on stage, they are in the crowd watching other bands, such as Phish, to grasp ideas from.

Reynolds said the Hangar 9 show was a nice pace change and helped the band relax in its hometown. Every member of Spread said out of everywhere the band has toured, they do not treasure performing anywhere else like they do at Hangar 9, he said.

“Being back in Carbondale is like a breath of fresh air,” Reynolds said. “It is always a guaranteed good and interesting time.”

The band kept its crowd entertained and continued to add to its Carbondale fan base with an interactive performance. They performed a variety of original songs along with a few covers and a heap of improvisation.

Original songs such as “Deep Plunge,” “Clam Celebration” and “Feel My Heat” were played at the show, but the band also played covers like The Beatles’ “She’s So Heavy,” to which the crowd sang along, and “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon.

Rachael Rodgers, a senior from Crete studying theater, said she has seen Spread perform in Carbondale since she was 19 and has yet to be disappointed.

“Spread has come here and never left their audience,” she said. “They’re definitely a Carbondale trademark of the music scene.”

The quadruplet band also impressed non-students who visited Carbondale for the weekend.

Brett Butler, a Belleville welder, said Spread was a great addition to his Saturday night festivities and was intrigued by Kaufman’s ability to give it his all on the keyboards even with a hand injury.

“Spread is no doubt awesome and entertaining,” he said. “It blew me away that (Kaufman) was so energetic on the keyboards when his wrist was wounded.”

Reynolds said giving back to the music scene is easy for the band because Carbondale played a big part in its life and has indulged it in everything it want to do in life. They appreciate how the music school supported the music scene, he said.

Despite its southern Illinois start, Spread has created a career for itself in other areas of the state as well, Kaufman said.

Kaufman said the band has performed and toured throughout Illinois, in college campuses and cities such as Chicago, Springfield and Joliet. As a result, since 2010, they have played in the annual music festival Summer Camp in Chillicothe, which has hosted artists such as Umphrey’s McGee, Bassnectar, Slightly Stoopid and Wiz Khalifa, he said.

Kaufman said it’s difficult to forget the Chilliconthe festival because of a hectic, yet humorous endeavor the band endured because of the event’s weather.

“There was so much dry-dusted wind that got all over our equipment,” Kaufman said. “It was only out for like an hour and a half, and I ruined like 3 towels just trying to get all of the dust off.”