Louie/Greyhound

Calpurnia's story is how teenage rock dreams are meant to unfold: four friends, all raised on a healthy diet of the Beatles, Nirvana and David Bowie, and a deep love for their respective instruments, retreat one day to a basement and begin jamming together. They cut their teeth on some cover songs and then, with just enough confidence and a dose of adolescent enthusiasm, they write and record their own tunes. And the results are nothing short of stunning. “It was kind of destined to be,” Finn Wolfhard says of the almost serendipitous genesis of the rough-and-tumble Vancouver-based indie-rock foursome he formed with three of his now-closest friends. “We all just really clicked. And when I’m passionate about something,” the singer-guitarist adds of Calpurnia, “I like to get it done as quickly as I can. There’s not a lot of wasting time. I love just going for it. Go big or go home.” The band – which in addition to Wolfhard includes lead guitarist Ayla Tesler-Mabe, a six-string prodigy whose bedroom-shredding viral videos have earned her legions of fans on social media, bassist Jack Anderson and drummer Malcolm Craig – all grew up within walking distance of one another. But it took Wolfhard – best known as one of Hollywood’s hottest young actors thanks to his role as Mike Wheeler on Netflix hit series ‘Stranger Things’ – meeting Craig on the set of Canadian punk rockers PUP’s ‘Guilt Trip’ music video for things to finally spring into motion. In short order, the pair met Tesler-Mabe at a music summer camp, and she quickly introduced them to Anderson, her close childhood friend and bassist.