Verve
14
volanteonline.com
A rising music scene in Vermillion Sophomores form rock cover band Morgan Matzen
Morgan.Matzen@coyotes.usd.edu
The Beards
Morgan Matzen I The Volante
The Beards are a band comprised of biology professors Jake Kerby (electric guitar), Jeff
Wesner (drums), English professor Joe Raiche (guitar, vocals) and friends Amy (bass) and Jason Askew (keys).
Professors continue to jam downtown Morgan Matzen
Morgan.Matzen@coyotes.usd.edu
Beards are no longer just a trendy style of facial hair — but a local band from Vermillion, which sprouted up like stubble on the face of the local music scene. The Beards are made up of USD biology professors Jake Kerby (electric guitar) and Jeff Wesner (drums) as well as English professor Joe Raiche (guitar, lead vocals). The band formed when Kerby was jamming with beardless bassist Amy Askew at a party, and Askew’s husband Jason soon joined the group on the keyboard. “I had a birthday party at my house, and a bunch of people were playing music,” Kerby said. “Amy and I were jamming together and she’s like, ‘We should just come over to my house and play.’ We both knew Jeff, so we invited him to come down, so the three of us just played one session. Then Amy said she knew this guy (Joe) who
thinks he can write music.” The group’s sound could be classified as indie or alternative rock. They rehearse in the basement of the Askew home, so there is a very do-it-yourself element to the music. They have set aside the rowdiness of youth and the ambition to become rockstars for their more realistic pursuits in academia. “We’ve all got kids and real jobs,” Amy Askew said. The group demonstrated their individual musical skills in a recent practice session. They played “Breaking,” which has parts that play to the strong suits of each musician. Amy Askew knows her way around the bass, Jason Askew is a skilled keyboardist and Kerby controls his guitar pedals with ease. Another of their songs is “Robin,” which is a touch more emotional. The Beards played their first few shows in town. One
of their first shows at the Varsity caused a bit of a stir in the local community, most likely for the posters that could be seen around town featuring Raiche’s angry bearded face. On the top of the poster, there was also a link to the band’s website, a playground for Raiche’s sense of humor. “I kind of put stuff up there as a joke,” Raiche said. “It’s fun that people are going and looking at it. It’s a pleasant surprise.” The Beards hope to continue to share their music with other people. “I think that’s the spirit of the band. We’re just a bunch of friends,” Kerby said. “We love it and we just keep doing it. I think that’s part of the spirit too. We’re 30 years older and we thought we were going to be rockstars, but we just (mess) around and have fun. Music comes from a creative place.”
A fresh-faced band of sophomores known as “The Undergrads” just hit the scene in Vermillion. Following in the footsteps of The Beards is Liz Kubal (singer), Spencer Andreson (guitar) and Riley Ackerman (drums). While Andreson and Ackerman said they’ve been neighbors “forever” and started playing in high school, Kubal said biology professor and Beards guitarist Jake Kerby encouraged them to get together. “Kerby asked us to open up for him a while ago, before Christmas break, and we were like, ‘OK, let’s do it,’” Kubal said. “We got together really fast. Then we picked our names last minute. I think Kerby picked it as a joke. We’re only going to be undergrads for two more years.” Kubal and Andreson also became more acquainted when they covered John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” at Yotes Got Talent. “Spencer and I were
messing around, and he started playing some John Mayer stuff, and we decided that would be cool. He’s an expert at guitar,” Kubal said. The band mostly plays covers, including “Gold on the Ceiling” by The Black Keys and “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes. “I worship (Jack White) as my god,” Andreson said. Ackerman said they all have original content, but for now they enjoy playing covers. “We all create our own stuff, but we’re not at that point yet,” Ackerman said. “We haven’t tried to record ourselves. We do our own renditions of people’s songs just for now.” Each member brings their own style and genre to the table. Kubal said she loves country music and John Mayer, while Andreson and Ackerson said they don’t feel the same. “We tend to not play country,” Ackerman said. “Spencer and I hate country, but we play blues rock. I played a lot of Black Sabbath in high school, which was weird for a long-haired Catholic school kid.”
Despite their musical differences, they’re appreciative of each other’s talent. “Liz has an amazing voice, Spencer is a wizard at guitar,” Ackerman said. “I feel like we have everything going for us.” Kubal said that being part of a band is a good pastime. “We’re kind of just rolling with it,” Kubal said. “It’s fun to do on the weekends. We all have hard classes, and we’re just doing it as a hobby as of right now.” The band members said they’re excited about music in Vermillion. “There’s definitely a rising music scene in Vermillion,” Ackerman said. “Spencer and I are going to have our own house next year and we’re going to have concerts there.” The Undergrads said they want to branch out of Vermillion, though, with help from Kerby. “Kerby wants us to start playing in Sioux Falls and around the area,” Ackerman said. “He’s just like our dad. We pair well together, they take their time and they’re a ton of fun to play with.”
The Undergrads
Morgan Matzen I The Volante
The Undergrads are a cover band of sophomores Spencer Andreson (guitar) Liz Kubal
(singer) and Riley Ackerman (drums).