Something for everyone in current Yale bands

Although Yale has, in the past, garnered a reputation for being a school with a small and underdeveloped music scene, 1997-98 was a banner year for Yale rock. It would be impossible to write about every group at Yale, but here is a look at some of the best and most active bands in the Yale music scene.

The title of "Loudest Band at Yale" belongs indisputably to the three-piece collectively known as The Eddie Gunther Sound. Eddie Gunther's music alternates between bludgeoning and squealing, as the band's tight, repetitive, and distorted riffs are punctuated by bursts of feedback. With their off-kilter syncopations and low-end punch, The Eddie Gunther Sound is worth seeing for visceral impact alone.

No Evil Star is another strong band that made a big impact last year. The band plays bittersweet emo music but is not afraid to rock out. Their songs bring to mind bands such a The Promise Ring and Jawbreaker. Singer/bassist David Slade's, TC '01, energetic stage presence adds much to the band's live show, as he leaps about and shakes uncontrollably. No Evil Star should have a seven-inch available this fall.

COURTESY HRISHIKESH HIRWAY Pinstripe pound out post-teen angst in an intimate setting.

Pinstripe is perhaps the most established band in the Yale indie scene. Hrishikesh Hirway, MC '00, and Webster McBride, BK '99, take turns fronting the band; while one sings and strums acoustic guitar, the other plays drums. Pinstripe's brand of sensitive, sweater-clad coffeehouse rock has earned it a sizable and well-deserved following. All of the band members are very active in Yale music, and members of Pinstripe also play in The Eddie Gunther Sound, No Evil Star, and Commodore 64.

Perhaps the most musically complex of Yale's indie bands is The Cuckolds. This duo of JE sophomores uses intricate, interlocking guitar parts, luscious dissonances, odd time signatures, and hushed vocals. The Cuckolds aim for music that is beautiful in an unexpected way and are influenced by bands such as Slint, Rodan, and June of '44.

Bot Fly, which was formed this year, plays straight-ahead, crowd-pleasing indie pop rock. The band features Claire McKellar, BR '97, who drummed previously for minor celebrities Butterflies of Love (they hit the British Top Ten and recorded a session with John Peel). Bot Fly guitarist Darby Saxbe, TC '99, has perfected her Star Search guitar moves, and the band's drummer can smoke a cigarette while playing.

Pearly Sweets is always a crowd pleaser, with his infectious variety of piano sex rock. Sweets has an uncanny knack for writing quirky, humorous, but heartfelt songs, and performs them with style, personality, and amazing piano technique. He often participates in assorted side projects, and he has tapes available.

New on the music scene this year were a pair of funk bands who quickly became popular components of the Yale party scene. The Sextones, a band consisting, appropriately, of six members which plays an assortment of funk and jazz favorites, formed in the winter of 1997. The group was soon rivaling the more established Ska & Bones, a tight and polished 10-piece band replete with trumpet, sax, and trombones. Rudies and skins need not get overly excited; however, despite the semi-clever pun in their name, Ska & Bones do not play any ska—they play funk. A Ska & Bones show is a chaotic event, where hordes of Yalies in white hats jump around, bang into each other, and generally get down with their drunken selves.

Michaelson and the Morleys are three swingin' group IV majors (hence the name) who play straight-ahead rock 'n' roll. What they lack in playing ability, they make up in attitude. These three guys may be sloppy, but they're always fun. Their forte is good-time rock in the "Louie Louie" vein, and their Monkees covers never fail to get the crowd dancing.

There are many more great sounds, such as the Pixies-esque alt pop of Esov, the glockenspiel-laden folk of Commodore 64, and the jam/funk/rapcore of Six Pack Annie. The Yale music scene may not be the largest, but there is a genuine sense of community among the bands and showgoers. Those involved hope to continue the growth in band activity Yale has experienced in the last year and knock down the barriers between the Yale and New Haven scenes.

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