Congress is in session. The Southern rock group, Congress the Band, has recently gone viral on social media for their high-energy performances and catchy lyrics. The band is made up of vocalist William Bennett, guitarists Daniel Guy and Lukas Mishustin, bassist Rob Farmer and drummer Jett Seawell.
Bennett was originally part of an acoustic duo with his friend, Thomas Spratt, in Charleston, where they played music on Congress Street. For a while, they played small backyard parties, before they met their bandmates and formed Congress the Band, named after where Bennett and Spratt’s music careers began.
Spratt is no longer with Congress the Band but told charlestoncitypaper.com how it felt when the band was first forming.
“William and I have been together since the beginning,” Spratt said. “So we’ve developed a lot of chemistry around that time that’s really carried on. And then when Daniel played with us for the first time, I immediately enjoyed playing guitar with him. I think we go well together and I compliment his playing style really well.”
They gained a local following in Charleston before even releasing a debut single after a few videos of their performances went viral. Because of their growing popularity, multiple colleges reached out to Congress the Band offering them campus gigs, one of which included a sorority event at Auburn University.
In 2024, Congress the Band released their debut single, “Out the Door,” which was a huge success, gaining over 4 million streams on Spotify. The song blends the rock genre with lyrics of a ballad to describe a relationship Bennett was heartbroken over. Bennett was frustrated after him and the girl who inspired “Out the Door” stopped talking and wanted to channel his feelings into his music. However, the task proved to be a challenge for Bennett as he developed writer’s block when trying to sum up his emotions. In an attempt to help, Guy brought in his friend Nick Matthews, who is a guitarist as well. Matthews played around with the chord progressions and lyrics came to Bennett out of inspiration.
Bennett told charlestoncitypaper.com how magical and relieving Matthews’s help was on “Out the Door.”
“Nick and I ran to a room that had a window over the studio so we could watch what and hear what they were doing. Nick just said, ‘Start writing,’ and the words just started flowing,” Bennett said. “It was a cool experience because I’d been waiting so long.”
Since then, Congress has released more hit singles such as “Modern Lady” and a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie.” Their most recent single, “Don’t Let Me Down” was released on March 31, 2026, and in less than a month has gained over 100,000 streams on Spotify.
Addie Usry (12) is a big fan of Congress the Band and looks forward to hearing them play in the future.
“I would love to attend one of their concerts next year when I go to college, since they play at Clemson often. My most listened to song last year was “Out the Door,” and I would love to hear it live,” Usry said.
