There are now four Immersed in Music bands that are exploring writing their own music. As the students get more experience playing covers of popular bands’ songs, they begin to get curious about the process of creating original music.
The best example of IIM bands doing original music is The Watergate, a four member unit who have been playing together in one form or another for over three years. They released their own EP of original songs last year in June and have been selling it at their shows all year. The Watergate have worked with Rick Batley for the last year and a half taking music business classes and booking their own shows.
They are currently working with Henry Naguski, IIM’s premier sound engineering student, planning the specific sounds they want out of their next trip into the studio in late March. They have been meeting with Henry for the past two weeks detailing how they want each instrument recorded, as well as discussing the overall effect that they are looking to achieve for the 10-12 song album that they have written.
Another example of original music includes “Love Doctor,” by The Sensations, which was recorded earlier this month as part of a three song set that they are in the process of finishing at The Green House studio. They have also just begun writing a second original during rehearsals that is, as yet, unnamed.
Fever and Charlemagne are the other two bands who have begun exploring original music. Denim’s song “Fire and Rain” is currently on the back burner as they prepare to finish laying down drum tracks next week, but he is very interested in pursuing work on it once they finish recording. And Charlemagne has been working very hard the past two rehearsals on a catchy, jazz inflected piece that has really come together. It features a highly hummable melody by Yusuf Miller and the whole band spent this week finalizing an arrangement that they all liked and throwing out ideas for lyrics.