Evangelia Grivas (11) is the drummer for the band The Sharp Stars. The group consists of Grivas, lead vocalist/guitarist Gianna Manzo (11, Male High School) and bassist Janie Garren (12). Since their conception, the group has risen to prominence in the Louisville music scene, playing shows such as Sweaterfest 2023 and Ramen Fest 2024. They’ve accumulated over 300 followers on Spotify, where they’ve released two singles and their EP Hollow Scars.
Grivas’ passion for music began at an early age. Her dad, being an avid listener of punk and rock, influenced her taste. She began learning percussion in middle school, and received a drum set as a Christmas present her freshman year.
“I’ve always loved music, mostly because my dad bought me into it. I loved Rock Band when I was younger.”
The Sharp Stars were conceived in December of 2022. Manzo, the guitarist, came up with the name.
“We just thought it sounded cool,” Grivas says.
Their first show was June 13, 2023 at Breslin Park alongside other local bands like Terminal Axon and Blue Tongue.
The group describes themselves on their Spotify bio as an “all girl riot-grrl metal band” who hopes to “bring more awareness to the ongoing inequality and unfair treatment of women in the music industry” and “allow a pathway for other female predominate bands to thrive.” Riot-grrrl is the name of an underground punk movement that began in the late 1990’s that promotes feminism and political activism. Though the core message is still present, Grivas says she’s noticed a change in the band’s sound.
“When we first started, we were more like…regular punk, and Riot grrrl is pretty much like female lead punk, but now we’re shifting towards more hardcore, which I’m enjoying because it’s a lot more complicated and fun to play, and in general, we’ve all definitely grown with hardcore.”
Grivas pens all of her drum tracks, and she and Manzo collaborate on the lyrics via a shared note in the Notes app on their phones.
“I’ve definitely grown a lot with drums because I started playing with the band…I’ve also developed a lot, which is nice.”
Manzo says Grivas has been a joy to collaborate with, and helps her bring out the best in her work.
“She is always very supportive with my ideas and I will forever be grateful that she is our drummer, and no one else…she has stuck with me and continued to push me to be better as a person, and a musician. I will always appreciate that beautiful aspect of her lovely soul.”
The band’s first single, “Hang Me Like a Witch” and their album Half Of Scars was recorded at TNC studios. Their latest single was recorded in tandem with the guitarist from the band Gates of Hell.
“They’re actually playing louder than life this year.”
When asked about her most memorable shows, Eva says sweaterfest 2023 was one of them.
“That was a really fun show. We opened…honestly all of my shows are memorable. They’re all fun. They were all like, really fun. Gianna’s birthday show…which was really fun. We got to smash a cake into Giannas face, and we played with this band out of town called Cult Of Nasty. They were these grown men wearing thongs, and that was really funny.”
Grivas such that playing music has expanded her social circle here at Atherton.
“I meet a lot of friends through music and band here. Like all the members of the TABS, a lot of them went here…I was able to form a connection with them and a lot of other people in the scene through that.”