The North West Daily | Muse etc talks about the eventful first year after the demo’s recent release, playing on the main stage of Dillo Days

The freshman artists that make up Muse etc. had a unique first year – performing on the heralded Dillo Day main stage and releasing an EP, all within months.

Muse etc is a collection of college freshmen who formed a band during the first few weeks of Fall Quarter. McCormick freshman Timofei Asinski plays bass, Bienen and Weinberg freshman Jeremy Berkun plays vocals and multiple instruments, Bienen freshman Alex Neuser plays multiple instruments, McCormick freshman Eric Chen plays drums, Bienen and Weinberg freshman Oliver Koenig plays saxophone and flute, and Bienen and McCormick freshman Jun Byun plays trumpet and the piano.

While the band performed on the main stage at Dillo Day on May 20, they did not begin playing formal gigs until the middle of Winter Quarter.

Muse etc recruited his friends, housemates, peers through a cappella auditions and random get-togethers on Sheridan Road with their band – seeing people playing music and wanting to “jam” in Bienen practice rooms on Saturdays throughout the fall term.

Although the six just played together for their own amusement at first, they started producing music on a regular basis by the end of Fall Quarter. They started looking for a name and after much deliberation decided on “Muse etc.” The name is a combination of their individual ideas, describing their approach to music as a group of largely Bienen students, Berkun said.

With the growing popularity of Muse etc., the name has become more recognized.

“I have [heard of] lots of people who can’t see the word ‘etc.’ without thinking about us now,” Neuser said. “It really sticks.”

Given the band’s diverse musical backgrounds, they draw inspiration from a variety of sources, including Frank Ocean, Tyler, The Creator, John Coltrane, Steve Lacy, Tony Bennett, Miles Davis and Nate Smith on drums, Chen said.

While Muse etc. continued to refine his style, they attempted to combine different elements of their individual styles to form what they describe as “pop fusion,” Byun said.

“Structurally, it follows the typical form of traditional pop songs, and we hope to be catchy and memorable,” Byun said. “But we also need to include elements of uniqueness.”

As the six entered their first winter quarters, they began to take steps out of Bienen’s training halls. They applied for the Daily’s ‘Notes from the Newsroom’ series and recorded a video posted on the site in February. They later performed for Cats Who Compost’s Snowstainability Ball at NU Hillel –– their first paid gig and their first use of an official sound system.

Towards the end of the term, Muse etc. played at a WNUR fundraiser, which Koenig called a “winter quarter summit”. They performed at an off-campus house with the band BABYFREEZE and DJ Vitamin K. They noticed that the atmosphere created a unique environment, different from their other concerts.

“We love making music and we’re very perfectionists about the music we make,” Berkun said. “But in the end, we make music because viewers love the music and pause to listen. If we manage to do this in a festive setting and people like it, it’s a privilege.

They left the concert on an upbeat note, excited for Spring Quarter, Neuser said.

Muse etc received many requests to perform the following term. Most notably, they performed at the Associated Student Government Sustainability Committee’s GREENOUT — their first time on a big stage. They were also selected as candidates for the Mayfest Battle of the Bands, which they ended up winning, securing them a spot on Dillo’s main stage the following week. The group has preceded headliners including RINI, TiaCorine, Briston Marroney and Offset.

Following their performance at Dillo Day, the band decided to release their first “Closure” demo, announcing it on Instagram on Saturday.

“When we were announced for the battle, our Instagram interaction exploded — there were so many new people visiting our channel,” Neuser said. “All of a sudden we had a lot more eyes on us, so we thought we should take advantage of that opportunity and that attention to get music out into the world and build that [attention] further away.”

The demo was primarily Neuser’s work. He said he was bored on a Zoom tour of Stanford in high school when a baseline “just kind of fell into my head.” While showing the demo to other Muse members etc., they used a variety of styles and perspectives to produce the final product, Berkun said.

Prior to the official release of “Closure”, the band received a $16,000 grant from Northwestern for an EP. They hope to record next September and release it soon after, Koenig said.

Most of the band members plan to live in Evanston over the summer so they can work on the project.

“The plan for the EP is just to be as creative as possible, and whatever comes out of it will come out of it,” Berkun said. “Each individual song will be the best we can do with it – they may be in different styles, but they will come together.”

In addition to a full EP, the members hope to play venues in Chicago as their presence grows.

In the end, the six don’t want to get too caught up in the direction of Muse etc. – for now, they aim to make connections within the music community and continue their current trajectory.

“We all have our own ambitions. We want to live in the present – ​​enjoy what we have right now and take it one step at a time,” Byun said.

Twitter: @carylshepard_

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