It’s the evening of Valentine’s Day and members of the Ames band, Spirit, Body & Soul, are on the small stage of the Body of Christ Christian Worship Center downtown, posing for pictures and dancing along to a smooth groove.

When finished with photos, six of the eight members move into a small, quiet conference room while drummer Mike Atkinson and Peter Thompson, trumpeter and Iowa State alumnus, continue to practice. The sound of the drums rolls through the walls, setting the tone — the members of Spirit, Body & Soul are passionately speaking about music to a steady beat.

For almost four years, the band has lived and breathed a mixture of jazz, gospel, soul and R&B. Playing mostly in Ames and Des Moines, it performs at a variety of events. One thing the members of the band say they are proud of is, even when requested at the last minute, they can pull off a good show.

“There have been several occasions where we’ve played at the last minute with no practice and no rehearsals,” says Chi-Chi Ibekwe, keyboardist and senior in biology. “Even for the Battle of the Bands we only had like one practice with a new drummer and we were still able to place.”

The members of SBS, who write and play original music, say their sound is something no one else on campus can imitate. Saxophonist Laron Evans, sophomore in electrical engineering, says he has played with two other groups and a jazz band, but SBS encompasses a completely different mood.

“It just gives you a different feeling, a different vibe to the music. It lets you express it much differently,” he says.

Upon the mention of the Ames music scene, they all look at each other, knowing exactly what they want to say, but unsure if they should say it.

“It is lacking,” says Kraig Gregory, percussionist/bassist and Iowa State alumnus.

The band cracks up and wonders if Gregory’s comment was appropriate. Dantrayl Smith, keyboardist and senior in electrical engineering backs him up.

“You gotta keep it real man!” he says.

With his permission, Gregory continues.

“[It’s] lacking diversity, lacking flavor, lacking spirit, body and soul,” he says.

Vocalist Tiffany Daniels, senior in journalism and mass communication, says the local music scene is “all the same music and all the same people.”

“It mirrors campus,” she says. “It’s not to say there’s not talent, it’s just that we want to hear something different every now and again.”

SBS has played a variety of occasions including weddings. Blaise Cordier, percussionist and senior in mechanical engineering, says the band has even catered to the college of engineering.

“It’s enabled us to be pretty broad in our range, because if it’s people more our age we can do more grooves and kind of up beat stuff and for weddings we can do more laid back [music],” he says.

The band members range in age from sophomore in college to mid-30s, and represent cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, Memphis and Kansas City. Smith says this diversity adds a flare to the band.

“We all bring our different types of region and influence of music and flavor,” Smith says.

As Spirit, Body & Soul is able to practice and play together now, the members realize after graduation, many will move or pursue other things.

Ibekwe, however, says he is quick to keep the optimism high.

“I don’t know how or when or where, but I really don’t believe that SBS is going to end when we all graduate,” he says.