Each new year, a new slate of Bowdoin bands enters the music scene on campus, making their mark. As bands return and plan for the year ahead, some prominent campus bands share how they got their start and what they have in store for everyone this year.

Kaleidoscope 

Isa Cruz

Each new year, a new slate of Bowdoin bands enters the music scene on campus, making their mark. As bands return and plan for the year ahead, some prominent campus bands share how they got their start and what they have in store for everyone this year.

Kaleidoscope

From covering classic rock anthems like those of Kings of Leon and Led Zeppelin to indie classics like the Backstreet Lovers, in just a year since their formation, Kaleidoscope has taken off in the Bowdoin band scene.

However, the band got off to a somewhat rocky start when bassist Sam McLaughlin ’27 and guitarist and vocalist Jack Crawford ’27 first practiced together.

“[McLaughlin] and I, we were first-year friends, and we got together in the spring, and we wanted to just jam, so we went to the Bowdoin Music Collective and picked up some instruments and started trying to make some music. It didn’t sound very good,” Crawford said.

But their first practice didn’t deter them from building a band.

“Mason [Kahn ’28] actually visited a music class that I was taking in the spring during Bowdoin Bearings, and that’s how I found out that he was a pretty good drummer. So, I reached out to him over the summer to make sure he didn’t join any other bands,” Crawford said.

McLaughlin invited his floormate Whitney Pellegrino ’27 to their last floor dinner and learned how to play the bass over the summer. Within the first week of school, the group had their first rehearsal.

However, Kaleidoscope still didn’t have a name until their first weekend.

“We went to the flea market, and there was this old kaleidoscope,” McLaughlin said. “And we were like, ‘Oh, that’s a cool name.’”

As a primarily cover band, drummer Kahn explained how Kaleidoscope takes classic songs and twists them to produce their unique sound.

“When we get together and change the song to make it our own, that’s something so fun that you can’t really find anywhere else,” Kahn said. “Seeing people get excited about what you’re playing is the best feeling because you worked for weeks or months on arranging and making the song how you want it to be.”

Before three out of the four band members go abroad in the spring, Kaleidoscope looks forward to writing some original songs and performing gigs on and off campus, starting with their first performance of the year at MacMillan House on September 19.

Pariah

Courtesy of Pariah

Drummer Maya Funez ’28 knew coming into Bowdoin that she wanted to be in a band, but she wasn’t sure where to start. Little did she know, a peer musician would find her a few weeks into the fall semester.

“I didn’t even reach out to anybody. I didn’t text anybody over the summer. I was just like, ‘I’ll play it by ear once I get there,’” Funez said. “So when Theo [Strauss ’28] reached out to me, it was kind of a surprise.”

Bassist Strauss, guitarist and singer Aoi Araki ’28 and guitarist Rhys Vaughn ’28 round out the sonic intensity of Pariah. Noting that they are not a metal band, as many students believe, Pariah has defined Bowdoin’s alt-rock scene. The all-sophomore group has risen rapidly, winning Battle of the Bands this past spring and opening for redveil and Del Water Gap at the Spring Concert.

“The Spring Concert was great,” Vaughn said. “That was totally a once in a lifetime experience.”

For the members of Pariah, what once was a few strangers is now a group of best friends. Though initially brought together by their shared love for music and performing, the band now finds itself bonded by a deeper friendship too.

“Even if we didn’t play music, I think we’d be friends. And who doesn’t want to hang out with their friends?” Vaughn said. “That’s kind of what practices and performances feel like.”

Pariah has also found itself in collaboration with other bands on campus, including Kaleidoscope and Josh Klein. Both Vaughn and Funez noted the joy of having passionate musicians on campus and finding others that enjoy performing as much as they do.

“Student-led music is just really valuable to the school, and if you’re going to make your own music, I’m gonna watch. I don’t care what it is,” Funez said.

Over the summer, Pariah worked on writing original music, some of which they hope to debut this semester. And keep your eyes peeled for Pariah performances at off campus venues too.

Josh Klein 

Courtesy of Josh Klein

Josh Klein, a junior indie rock band, features Will Churchill ’27 on the drums, Karma Samtani ’27 on the keyboard, Jack Behrens ’27 on the guitar, Annie-Sophie Kagan ’27 on the bass and Lorca Peña Nissenblatt ’27 on vocals.

In the early days of Josh Klein last spring, the group tried to brainstorm names for the band but failed several times to find a name they all liked.

“I think at one point, [ Peña Nissenblatt] and [Kagan] wanted to call [the band] Sticky. That was on the poster for Battle of the Bands, and I don’t think any of us really liked it,” Samtani said.

Sitting at dinner, they called over their good friend Josh Klein ’27, and they all really liked the idea of naming the band Josh Klein.

“[We thought], ‘We’ll be Josh Klein for this first show, and if we think of something better, we’ll change.’ And then it just kind of stuck,” Churchill said.

Each member of the band picks a song for their sets, allowing the group to blend all of their musical tastes together in each performance.

“I think Josh Klein is emblematic of the band in another way because he has a very diverse music taste that we sample from a lot,” Behrens said.

Although two of its band members are currently abroad, Josh Klein looks forward to performing again in the spring at Battle of the Bands, has plans for a Tiny Desk concert at WBOR and possibly has original songs coming in the future.

“Last semester, a lot of our friends were part of this extended universe of the band,… and it was just a cool opportunity to see everyone we knew in one place and to have fun playing music,” Samtani said.

Far From Juno

Courtesy of Far From Juno

After a nearly year-long hiatus as band members went abroad, pop-rock phenomenon Far From Juno is back on campus for its members’ senior year.

Far From Juno’s dynamic performances have filled nearly every venue in Brunswick and have traveled to other college campuses, cementing the group as a staple of the Bowdoin music scene. But the group had humble beginnings on the first floor of Coleman Hall, where Reynaldo Fuentez ’26 and Courtney Burnett ’26 both lived as first years and first met.

Soon after deciding they wanted to form a band, Fuentez and Burnett recruited guitarist Jacob Goodman ’26 and lead vocalist Ainsley Morrison ’26, but the band was still missing a key element: the electric bass.

“I was walking down the hallway [in Smith Union],… and then I hear this bass, and I just ran into the practice room. Then I see [Annabella Williams ’26], and I’m like, ‘Can I just listen?’” Fuentez said. “I whip out my phone, and I text Courtney, ‘I think I found our bass.’”

With all five members now on board, the band named itself Far From Juno, as they all experienced living away from home in their first year and were inspired by Williams’ hometown: Juneau, Alaska.

Each member joined Far From Juno with their own musical experiences: Burnett had drummed in New York City and Goodman played in many bands throughout high school, while Fuentez had just learned to play the guitar. What they shared was a passion for music, something the band has found in abundance at Bowdoin.

“I feel like Bowdoin band culture is a lot stronger than you would expect it to be, given the size of the school,” Goodman said. “I’m not sure exactly where that comes from. I feel like people are just very artistic at Bowdoin, and that lends itself well to that.”

Far From Juno has also experienced live music on campus rebound as the pandemic subsided from the college experience, including the growth of opportunities to collaborate with other groups.

Fuentez and Goodman both recalled performing with other bands on campus—from opening for Nighthawk in their early years to having Pariah open for them this spring—as some of the most exciting moments for the band.

But right now, Far From Juno is focused on having fun making music together during its members’ senior year and bringing their A-game to Battle of the Bands this spring.

“Stay tuned, because Far From Juno is back,” Fuentez said. “You’ll be hearing a lot from us.”