by Katie Nolan ‘12

Hydra Kyll

The summer of their sophomore year, seniors Zachary Moustafa, Rohan Mathur and Tim O’Connell decided to form a heavy metal band. After they recruited Sherwood graduate Michael Collins and senior Stephen Prentiss, Hydra Kyll was formed. “We play many different styles of heavy metal, whether it’s slow, Black Sabbath-type Doom Metal, to the speedy, technical side of bands like Necrophagist or Severed Savior,” said Mathur.

When they first formed, the band performed covers but are increasingly writing their own material. “We’ve actually been getting serious throughout the past year and a half or so,” said Moustafa. “Now we’re mainly working on our own stuff, and beginning to record our EP.”

The band cites music groups like Slayer, Exodus, The Black Dahlia Murder and Killswitch Engage as their main influences. In the future, Hydra Kyll plans to continue playing together and become known outside the community. “We’re going to try as hard as we can to become a serious band in the music business,” said Mathur.

3 AM

Most bands form based on a conscious decision to pursue music together. However, 3 AM had a very different start. Their sophomore year, juniors Danny Alarcon and Jon Burnsky were assigned an English project in which they had to reenact a scene from the play “Julius Caesar.” “We weren’t allowed to use pre-recorded music so all of it had to be done by us if there was to be any,” Burnsky said. “After working on that we just started jamming more and more.”

The punk and modern folk rock band consists of Alarcon, Burnsky and sophomore Andrew Muchnick. Though they have written original songs, the band plays mostly covers by The Avett Brothers, Sublime, 311 and other 90’s punk bands at live shows such as at the Coffeehouse.

In terms of long-term plans for 3 AM, “it really depends on what colleges we go to, but if its do-able we probably will keep playing” said Burnsky. Ultimately, Alarcon, Burnsky and Muchnick agree that music is a hobby for all of them “unless some record company comes along.”

Dean and Lia

The newest duo at Sherwood, freshman Dean Emerson and sophomore Lia Kurihara, have already attracted attention with their sweet acoustic and pop covers. Emerson and Kurihara first began playing together over the summer after some incessant pleading on Emerson’s part.

“After months of begging Lia to sing for me, she finally did over Skype and this started my begging to do a duet-type thing for Coffeehouse,” said Emerson. “She finally succumbed to my begging.”Although they have garnered many supporters through their Facebook videos and Coffeehouse visits, both feel music will remain a mere hobby in their lives.

“For me it is not really serious-we’re just having fun,” said Kurihara. For now Emerson and Kurihara plan to stick to covering their favorite artists like Jack Johnson and Ingrid Michaelson and restricting their exposure to Coffeehouse attendees.