Student Bands

On weekend nights, many Luther students get out of the dorms and into town to check out the live music scene, most of it generated by Luther students.

Audience members have their own criteria for what makes a good performance.

“[Good bands] can get everyone interested and have a lot of energy,” Hannah Ilika (‘12) said.

Rick DeVoss (‘12) enjoys catching shows at less-frequented venues, like the Haymarket.

“Haymarket can be really good sometimes,” DeVoss said. “A lot of people don’t know that.”

As for what makes a solid live performance, DeVoss had more specific requirements.

“There are two different things: their sound and if they can put a good show,” DeVoss said. “A good band can do both.”

For General B & The Wiz, an acoustic guitar duo made up of Seth Duin (‘12) and Quincy Voris (‘12), being in a band is all about having fun.

“It started out as a joke,” Duin said. “We would play funny songs around the room, then we signed up for an open mic night and people dug it.”

The duo, which started this year, won over the crowd with a Tenacious D cover.

“We’re inspired by the classics: The Beatles, The Doors and Bowie,” Duin said. “Even though we’re only two acoustic guitars, we try to keep it as rock ‘n’ roll as possible.”

Their covers of such classic artists have also gathered attention.

“I got approached by a teacher yesterday for our rendition of ‘I Am the Walrus,’ which he really enjoyed,” Voris said.

General B & The Wiz have also collaborated with another band of Luther students, Anders & The Incident, a group which prides itself on variety.

“[We] pretty much play anything except polka,” drummer Kyle Holder (‘12) said.

At Anders & The Incident’s first show, the band played a wide spectrum of genres, ranging from reggae to 70s classics. The band finds playing music on their own to be very liberating.

“It’s not constrained,” guitarist and vocalist Isaac Wiese (‘11) said. “We improvise solos. You don’t get that kind of freedom in choir.”

Both Anders & The Incident and General B & The Wiz formed for the purpose of having fun.

“Playing our live show was a blast,” Holder said, speaking of the band’s first show at Americana in November.

General B & The Wiz are all about having fun at their performances, too.

“At the last show we did, our friend just came up to the microphone and started playing the kazoo, and it was great,” Duin said.

Band members aren’t the only musicians performing independently. Pianist Aaron Rosell (‘12), known as He Who Never in performance, played in Decorah for the first time last year when he opened for A Penny Saved at Americana Grille.

Rosell, who composes and plays original songs, says his Luther peers have reacted positively toward his music.

“It’s gone great so far,” Rosell said. “They either really like it or they’re really good at lying.”

For the past four years, Rosell has been involved in music projects, either as the drummer for the Twin Cities-based blues-rock band If You Will, or as He Who Never, and both projects have had albums produced by a company called The Green Light Firm.

“Hopefully by Christmas I’ll have a five-song album out,” Rosell said.

For Rosell, performing his songs for a college crowd creates a strong sense of community.

“Everyone can relate to what I’m saying in my songs,” he said. “We’re all essentially going through the same things.”

Whether students are playing or listening, independent music gives everyone a chance to connect and have a great time.