WU DIY music scene, band for band
- William Weeks, Staff Writer
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
On many weekends, in the garages or backyards of student-rented houses, Willamette students gather to hear the sounds of their peers.
These “house shows” are entirely student-organized. Student bands work closely together to set up and promote shows, hauling and wiring thousands of dollars of shared equipment to their venues day-of. That’s not even mentioning the writing and rehearsing of original songs. This ‘do-it-yourself’ nature of the house show has led many band members and enthusiasts alike to refer to it as the ‘DIY scene.’
A great sonic diversity characterizes WU band culture in the eclectic and energetic rock from Thunderkunt and Spitfire, the folky yet welcoming math-rock of Harness and the more acoustic funk-folk of Bad Press.
There is no monetary compensation in these DIY house shows for musicians. Instead, the shows are fueled by passion. As summarized by Thunderkunt vocalist Annabel Flannagan (’26), “music makes me feel complete.” She appreciates the power of voice to express herself, extending directly to the band’s punk sound.
For Henry Dobesh (’26) and Velibor Mladenovic (’26), founding members of Harness, compensation comes from the joy of creation. “This is the greatest creative project that I’ve been a part of,” says Dobesh. “It feels really good to make something.”
As the DIY culture requires collaboration between and within bands, it builds rich social circles. Besides weekly Thunderkunt practices, “We’re also just pals! We hang out!” chipped in Will Grenawalt (’26), guitarist.
Being in the scene does come with struggles, however. Willamette doesn’t offer practice spaces to unaffiliated music groups. Harness is thankful to practice at the Kappa Sigma house, where Dobesh lives. He mentioned that the space might not be available after he graduates next semester, should lone junior Cole Thein (’27) continue the band.
Thunderkunt meets nearly every Friday in the crammed basement-bedroom of bass player (and Collegian Editor-in-Chief) Skeet Starr (’26), yet the jam-packed proximity doesn’t bother them. Rather, it’s the tight schedule.
Guitarist Leo Schoenbrun (’26) juggles three majors and multiple jobs. He isn’t the only busy-body, though; many band members are also riddled with difficult schedules. They are simply incapable of putting in as much effort as they’d like.
Bands like Thunderkunt and Harness are made up nearly entirely by seniors, and will leave space for mostly-junior bands Spitfire and Bad Press to fully take the helm in the fall. In efforts to keep the scene breathing, Thunderkunt plans on donating or selling for cheap some of their equipment to future generations of students looking to perform. No senior band said they are afraid the scene will fall out next year.
Both senior bands are also releasing music. The weekend before finals, Thunderkunt did a live recording of some of their originals to commemorate their group. Currently in the mixing process, they plan on eventually releasing it into an EP, though dates and platforms remain pending. They plan on performing at the Bistro late this February.
Meanwhile, over winter break, Harness recorded an EP, which is set to release March 12 at Mladenovic’s senior recital. They also have a live album titled “11/2/25.”
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