Long before For Squirrels became a name carried beyond Gainesville, Florida, they were four young musicians trying to find their sound and place in the world. Three of them — Jack Vigliatura, Bill White and Travis Tooke — had known one another since high school. The fourth, drummer Jack Griego, joined just before the band recorded its first album, Baypath Road, in November and December of 1994. Jack Vigliatura, Bill and Travis were introduced to Jack Griego while attending the University of Florida. But Jack Griego was not the only missing piece the band found in Gainesville. Before the friends...

Ryan Crowder still remembers the first time Bill White came into view at East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It was not a formal introduction, not a handshake or a carefully staged moment. It was a glimpse of someone moving through the ordinary school day with an energy that made him impossible to miss. “I just saw this guy coming up the sidewalk dancing around,” Ryan recalled. “Of course, later on I found out he was listening to R.E.M. Bill was a huge R.E.M. fan, as was I.” That first image stayed with him because it seemed to...

Long before For Squirrels ever stepped into a recording studio or onto a national stage, they were just a group of kids trying to help build something brand new at East Lake High School. According to soccer Coach Mark Lange, that mattered more than people realize. There was no established tradition, in large part because the school opened in Tarpon Springs, Florida in 1987 and Jack Vigliatura, Bill White and Travis Tooke were part of the founding student body. No championship banners. No legacy waiting for them. Just a young soccer program filled with kids who were overlooked, underestimated, rough...