Live music is making a comeback at North. From basement shows to community festivals, independent student bands are striking a chord with classmates and bringing new energy to school events.
Contagious Interactive (CIA) is one student band at North. According to senior Asher Boyer, the lead singer of the band, after people were confined to their homes during Covid, the desire for live experiences has grown. “People want to experience things live a lot more,” said Boyer. “I think we have missed out on a lot of that.”
According to Boyer, CIA was formed in the beginning of 2025 after Boyer and a couple of friends enjoyed playing together for a party that they decided to form a formal band. And although Boyer is personally looking into a music career, her band is purely focused on the joy of playing live with each other and for other people.
This sentiment is shared across many different bands, such as Dad Bod, formed by a similar desire to perform to a live audience and a love for music, according to senior Will Hartzog, a member of the band. “When you have people your age who are listening to the same music as you and are really hyped to hear the live music, it’s an electric atmosphere,” he said.
Hartzog views student bands as not only a way to bring a community together, but to also meet new people. After playing at their first student party at a Halloween party in 2024, the band found connections with other students to get access to even more gigs, such as local fests or summer parties in their friends’ basements.
“We have played at 11:00 a.m. in the freezing cold in a pumpkin patch for a bunch of church goers and our parents and we have also played at 1:00 a.m. at a party of kids our age,” said Hartzog. “We are all over the map, but definitely enjoy playing parties the most.”
The growing popularity of student bands has attracted the attention of others in the community as well. According to senior Isabel Goldstein, she first learned about student bands from her friends who were in them, but she gained more exposure to them after attending parties hosted by her friends where there were live music performances.
“I think it’s really cool that live music is becoming more popular for social events. Having regular speakers in the background works fine in most scenarios, but I think having actual bands there makes the experiences more memorable for everyone,” said Goldstein.
Another student band bringing live music to North’s community is Redwire. According to junior Zeppelin Godfrey-Grantz, the lead singer of the band, Redwire also started off as a way to have fun with their friends and play live. He added that they started as a basement rock band, but have since begun incorporating metal influences in their music and lyrics. Now, they are focused on getting their first album ready to publish.
For many students, School of Rock is a gateway into the world of student bands. School of Rock is a music studio with locations including Watertown and Brookline where students from different schools can register to take lessons and play together. Every semester, students can sign up for a themed band, and then are put with other people and play together.
According to Boyer, CIA members met at School of Rock and were assigned to perform together for a project. By the time they finished, their chemistry was amazing and they enjoyed playing together, so they decided to continue forth as a band.
Ultimately, all these bands hope to continue playing and making their audience enjoy their music. “The main goal of music in general is entertainment and appreciation,” said Godfrey-Grantz.
Hartzog added, “It is so important to find things that make you happy and just pursue them.”
