When Homemade Haircuts first started as a band in Columbia, Aaron Graves and Those Lavender Whales came up more as stories of the scene’s past, a band and a songwriter whose impact was felt as much through word of mouth as anything else.

For vocalist and guitarist Bob Magee, that connection slowly became more personal. He moved to Columbia for college in the late 2010s, passing Hunter-Gatherer most days on the walk to class, at the same time he was learning how to write and record music. That stretch still feels tied to the place.

As the band, also featuring Blake Hunter, Paisley Marie, and Trey Martin, found its footing in the local scene, those early stories started to take shape. Along the way came a deeper appreciation for Graves’ direct, earnest songwriting and the kind of community Those Lavender Whales helped build.

For this installment of the “I Love My Friends” sessions, Homemade Haircuts performs “Great Lakes” in front of the mural honoring Graves at the former Hunter-Gatherer building on South Main Street.

The song centers on pushing through difficult moments and continuing to chase something bigger, which adds another layer to the performance in this setting.

Filmed in the weeks before the building’s demolition in June 2025, the session captures a full-circle moment, a band shaped in part by this place, now adding its own voice to the story it helped create.

Homemade Haircuts is a four-piece indie rock band from Columbia that began as a bedroom recording project before growing into a touring act across the Southeast. The band opens for Ben Kweller at New Brookland Tavern on Friday, March 27 and will release their new single “Clown” on Wednesday, April 1.