FEATURING UCSD’S CREATIVES

Teenage angst can feel like a

By Yalini Thillaikumaran

TALKING WITH THE BLINDS, A BAND CREATED BY UCSD STUDENTS, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO MUSICAL SPACES AVAILABLE TO UCSD STUDENTS.

Student artists are underrated gems on UCSD’s campus. Alongside handling rigorous academic schedules, extracurriculars, and jobs, the artists of UCSD never fail to tune into their creative sides. With the impromptu concerts at Sixth during quarantine, art galleries at the Loft, and radio shows at KSDT, UCSD students have proven art persists even in a STEM-dominant environment.

Finding an artistic community during quarantine-college has been an interesting experience; classes were fully online for the 2020-2021 school year, and students were hard-pressed to find creative outlets. When I first heard of the outdoor concerts being held near the Sixth college basketball courts, I was delighted to see musicians on campus come together to showcase their talent. That was the first time I heard members of the Blinds play, and their growth since then has been exponential.

The band now consists of Vince Hilahan (piano/guitar/ vocals), Reece MacDonald (guitar/bass), Lennon Pascal (guitar/vocals), Daniel Provence (guitar/piano), and Audie Burton (drums). Hilahan, MacDonald, and Pascal have known each other since their freshman year of college, and started playing together upon the discovery of their shared love of music. Provence and Burton joined the group later, bringing with them new musical perspectives and sounds- the former having taken many music classes at UCSD and the latter having extensive drumming experience in other bands. I had the opportunity to interview the Blinds in January, wanting to know more about their musical process and the behind-the-scenes of their most recent live show held during Halloweekend 2022.

pulling different styles of music from different genres is crucial to establishing one’s own sound. Today, there are a million different musicians with a million different sounds. It’s impossible to make a completely new genre, but it is possible to combine what you love about different genres to make a sound special to you.

The band played an original song at their show, which they only finished up a few days prior. “We all wrote on our own at first, but the song really came together when we were practicing as a band,” Reece added. “The melody and style of the track were completely collaborative.”

Peach Pit, and Snail Mail. Despite the diversity of the artists they mentioned, they emphasized the importance of understanding the music you listen to, and why those artists make the musical choices that they do. Asking questions like “What do I like about this song?” and

I was surprised to find out the band had rehearsed together only a few times. With their drummer Audie living in Los Angeles — a two-hour drive away from San Diego on a good day —they were unable to rehearse as a complete group until the day of the show. They didn’t let that hinder their performance; no one could tell during the show.

How was the rehearsal process?

Daniel: “The week leading up to the show was definitely the most intense. I basically slept over at their place 5 nights in a row.” many people actually were going to show up. We were expecting maybe 80 at most.”

The band laughed, remembering sleepless nights and many hours spent rehearsing. Every performer knows how intensive the rehearsal process is: combing through each song, tuning each chord, and mentally preparing.

The Blinds weren’t the only band that had to rehearse. There were four other local bands that performed at the show: TheJambalayas, Shawty Shack, National Weather Report, and Keni Can Fly and the Wings. The members of the Blinds met most of these bands on the day of the show, and figured out all the different logistics just hours before striking the first chord.

No one would have ever guessed the bands didn’t rehearse together. They complimented each other perfectly, moving from song to song with little delay in between each set. All in all, very impressive for a DIY house show.

Vince: “There isn’t a huge music scene at UCSD, so I think people jumped at the opportunity to go.”

Reece: “But the scene that we tapped into with the show was very respectful. It was just a ‘friends of friends of friends’ situation.”

When I walked into the house, the first thing I registered was the sheer amount of people — something noticed by the band members, as well.

Lennon: “We had an RSVP form but had no idea how

Reece was not lying —of all the DIY shows I have been to, the crowd was one of the most respectful. It helps that so many students from UCSD were there; you couldn’t walk five feet without seeing a familiar face. As Vince mentioned, the music scene at UCSD isn’t enormous. You may have to do a little digging to find any live shows or band music being performed. When the flier for the show circulated on social media and word spread, folks did not think twice about going.

It was enjoyable seeing so many people I wouldn’t normally. The people that spend hours writing essays, the people studying silently in Geisel, and the people speed-walking to their next class all bounced along to the drums as if school didn’t exist. The show was a perfect opportunity for all left-brained tritons to tap into their other side.

Their faces lit up with the memory of performing for a live crowd. “Even with so many people there, it still felt intimate somehow- we really fed off the energy of the audience, which added so much to the experience as a whole,” Lennon remarked. Making music is only half the battle- any musician would itch to perform their songs for an audience. The crowd’s response to the music is pivotal to the artists themselves. Their show’s infectious energy certainly inspired the band itself as well as all the budding musicians in the crowd.

For their upcoming show, the Blinds plan on inviting new bands to play alongside them, wanting to give other local groups a chance to experience what they did. They are also working on new original music, so stay tuned!