AN INSIDER LOOK AT TWO BANDS IN BLACKSBURG

aidan mason | lifestyles writer

Drummer Will Burgoyne highlights his experience in the bands Cherry Moon and Earth Daze.

Music is one of the few things that unite us as humans. Almost all of us have music that we listen to and enjoy on a daily basis. Some like rock, some like Broadway and some like rap — but no matter our tastes, music is what brings us all together.

What we don’t often see are the local indie bands — the ones that aren’t as wellknown as their more famous counterparts. A member among these indie bands is Will Burgoyne, a drummer for both punk/ psych/garage rock band Earth Daze and rock band Cherry Moon.

How did you join these bands?

“Around November 2021, I started jamming with a few friends from MVs (Marching Virginians) Drumline,” Burgoyne said on the formation of Earth Daze. He notes that these sessions led to the creation of the band, joined later by singer Ela Yirmibeşoğlu this year.

Cherry Moon was established before Burgoyne entered in the fall semester of 2022. “It just so happened that their drummer was going to be leaving the band very soon, so I filled in and became the new drummer,” Burgoyne said.

How often do you practice?

Every musician needs practices to maintain their performance level and hone their craft, much like an athlete does with their bodies.

“With Earth Daze, we practice about one to two times a week, and we play gigs about once every two to three weeks,” Burgoyne said. “Cherry Moon practices about two to three times a week, and we play gigs about once or twice every two weeks.”

Which venues do you play at? How did you find them?

Bands need audiences, and in many cases, that can be found at venues. This is especially true for indie bands, who don’t have the advertising and purchasing power that artists backed by major corporations have.

“The Milk Parlor is certainly the best spot to perform in Blacksburg,” Burgoyne said. “Setting up gigs requires contacting them several weeks (or) months before a date, especially for weekend shows because it is such a popular place for bands to play and considering it’s the only place with an actual stage downtown.”

Another place that Burgoyne praised was the XYZ Art Gallery in downtown Blacksburg, although he noted that the spot was smaller than the Milk Parlor. He also included that other venues he’s played at are places such as apartments and houses.

“It’s a bit of a challenge to find new places to play and people who are willing to host shows often,” Burgoyne said. “In the past few months, it has been especially difficult to find places where you do not risk being shut down by the police, even when we let local authorities know about the event beforehand.”

As a band, do you make money?

“With Earth Daze, our money comes from cover at shows and usually goes right back into buying new equipment,” Burgoyne said.

As for Cherry Moon, they have a more established financial background. “Cherry Moon has been around a little bit longer and we’ve been able to make decent money off of cover as well as merchandise.”

What should people who want to form their own bands know?

A lot of people want to enter the music industry. There’s a reason that the scene is full of people with their Spotify, SoundCloud and demo tapes, desperate to break out into the scene. But how do you make it successful? How do you make a good band?

“Even if you find the most skilled musicians to play with, sometimes you still won’t sound good until you know how to learn the ‘sound’ of your band,” Burgoyne said. He mentioned that practice and learning the language of music is extremely important for any successful band.

What are the hardest parts about being in a band that people may not know?

“One of the hardest things to do is to find time to sit down and write and record songs with a band,” Burgoyne said. “Practicing covers and repetition is one thing, but actually composing a song takes a great deal of continuous time and effort to produce something that you can perform and potentially release.”

How do you feel about how the media portrays bands? Is it accurate to your lived reality?

With movies such as “School of Rock” and “Whiplash,” bands are depicted in media with varying degrees of accuracy. What we don’t often hear about, however, is how accurate this is from a member of an actual band.

“I’m not really sure how I generally view media portrayals of bands, and I can’t really say that anything is accurate to experiences because every band works differently,” Burgoyne said. However, one particular piece of media that he praised was the documentary “The Beatles Get Back.” One aspect he appreciated was the footage showing the Beatles goofing off and playing around, stating that it felt like his experiences with Earth Daze.

“Playing drums for Earth Daze and Cherry Moon and being part of the rejuvenated music scene in Blacksburg has honestly been my favorite part about being a student at Virginia Tech,” Burgoyne said. “I thank my bandmates for this experience but we really owe it to all of the students who come to our shows and the people who make an effort to host shows. Seeing new faces in the crowd smiling and dancing to our music brings me so much joy and inspires me to keep jamming and keep the music alive in Blacksburg!”

For more information on the bands, you can follow Earth Daze on Instagram (@earthdazeband) and you can follow Cherry Moon on Instagram (@cherrymoondudes) and visit their website (cherrymoonband.com).