By: Olivia McCown –
It’s hard to imagine that some of the most quiet and shy students during the day, could be at the front of a mosh pit the next night. As soon as they step in front of a crowd, their demeanor completely changes as they express their passion.
“[Being in a band] has been pretty much what I’ve always wanted to do,” said LSE senior Noah Kroeze. “I’ve always been creative. It started out with art, but I was listening to bands like, ‘Oh these people are super cool,’ so I wanted to be like them.”
Kroeze, who has been involved in music since the fourth grade, is in his own band, named Hive Mind. Senior Eric Meder, junior Isaac Pham, and Zach Reis are also a part of the band, with junior Seth Beem as a new addition to the group.
“I was looking for a band forever before it actually got started,” said Kroeze. “I was talking to Eric about it just because he’s really close and he plays music, but we needed a drummer. I saw that Isaac would wear Misfits shirts and I was like, ‘Well at least he has good taste in music’, so I just went up and was just like, ‘You don’t happen to play drums, do you?’ and he said that he got a drum set a week before that. So I kinda lucked out on that one.”
The name “Hive Mind” comes from the idea of how the public thinks about topics. The band draws inspiration from Nirvana and other punk bands to shape their alternative/punk style.
“Right now we’re going through transitions because Eric Meder is leaving because he might move in spring,” said Kroeze. “Seth Beem is just joining us. He might play keyboard, guitar, or bass, I’m not sure yet, and Isaac Pham is playing drums.”
Seth Beem, the new member of Hive Mind, is actually in two other bands as well. Mostly focusing on the punk genre, Beem is in Histrionic, which is punk/post-punk, and Mowing Clovers, which is more indie-punk.
“The hardest one [to get started] has been Mowing Clovers, with Will Gades. He’s my old friend and he goes to Lincoln High, so I just hit him up and we started jamming,” said Beem. “Mowing Clovers is the first one I have wanted to start and build from the ground. It is hard, getting your name out. We haven’t played a show yet, but we’re figuring it out.”
Beem has been interested in music since he was four or five years old, starting off with a drum set and later expanding his skills to guitar, bass, piano, and singing.
“I just love music and [being in a band] is just one of the ways I found to be able to express it, and be myself,” said Beem.
Histrionic, which also includes Aramara Quintos and Caleb Baugous, started in the Academy of Rock and has been performing all around the Lincoln venues.
“Histrionic, in the past few months, has actually had a lot of cool stuff going on,” said Beem. “We had a radio interview with KGN, and we also played Lincoln Calling. The community here is really cool, especially when you have a group of kids that come to most of the shows. There’s a lot of support for local art in general, not even just music, like painting, and writing, and all of that. During the summer, we had [one to three shows] every weekend. But now, since I’m in three bands, it’s probably around every other weekend.”
Starting a band can be hard, especially during high school, but the important thing to keep in mind is the motivation behind starting it in the first place.
“First, don’t give up. Ever,” said Beem. “Even in starting, and in your career. It will be hard, but you have to keep going. And second, don’t compare yourself to other artists because that’s when you get stressed out, and start worrying, and that leads to the end of it. So just be yourself.” No matter how daunting the task seems, anyone can start their own band as long as they are passionate enough about it.
“Just ask a bunch of people if they play instruments if you think they’re cool,” said Kroeze. “And if you can’t find anyone, then just make your friends play instruments even if they suck.”