Imagine you walk into the Kalnow gym and instead of the typical DJ setup, you see a stage with a full band playing your favorite songs. This year’s winter formal is set to be unforgettable, thanks to Black Cherry, the Seven Hills Upper School’s own rock band. Here’s everything you need to know about the group bringing music to life on February 8th, 8:00-10:30 PM.
Why a live band?
A live band offers a personal energy that a DJ can’t replicate. There’s something about musicians on stage, moving and performing right in front of your face, with instruments being played by real people, all working together. For Black Cherry, this performance aims to connect with their peers, in addition to providing entertainment.
Lead vocalist and senior Dougie Schecter says, “[the crowd] imbues me with the confidence to not overthink anything.” For Schecter, performing is all about working with the audience and feeding off of the energy of the crowd, creating a performance of a lifetime. Black Cherry isn’t just some band—it’s a group of talented musicians from the Senior class who have been playing and rehearsing together for years, including two Arts Alive performances and Schecter’s challenge project, a benefit concert. Featuring Schecter on vocals, senior Will Schade on bass guitar, senior Diego Godoy on lead guitar, Walnut Hills High School senior Aidan Ward on keyboard, and first year at Cincinnati State Jaxson Shupe on drums.
Speaking of: How did the band form?
When Schecter, Schade, and Godoy were in eighth grade, all three wound up playing instruments. They saw their common interest in music and started playing together. They ended up playing the eighth-grade talent show with the lineup being, Schade and Godoy on guitar, current senior Sydney Schnieder on bass guitar, and Schecter on vocals and drums. They played a cover of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” and to this day they wear their rock influences on their sleeves, playing a variety of rock covers, from “School’s Out,” by Alice Cooper to “Johnny B. Goode,” by Chuck Berry.
Over time, the band went through some member changes until ending up at their current arrangement.
What to expect?
Although the members of Black Cherry are tight-lipped about their full plans for the dance, it’s no reason for concern. After continued questioning of the student body, they’ve planned and curated a mix of hits that everyone can dance to, along with a few surprises. Their setlist spans both modern hits and classics. Schade said, “They’re songs that we’ve played that people have had good responses to.” Additionally, I was told that there will be guest performers during the set. Rumor has it that even faculty members might hop on stage to join in. Along with the songs
played by the band, a pre-recorded DJ set is being prepared by senior Adi Duggal with songs suggested by the student body. You won’t want to miss it.
Here is the timeline: 8:30-9:00 – Live Band Set #1
9:00-9:45 – DJ Set
9:45-10:30 – Live Band Set #2
What’s going on behind the scenes?
Performing for any audience, let alone for one of Black Cherry’s biggest crowds, is no small feat. The band has been rehearsing once or twice a week since December, with rehearsals ramping up as we get closer to the dance. The preparation process involves more than just playing the songs. When you have every member of the band together, they have to work together to produce something that not only is in time, but also sounds good. They also work on making their stage presence more engaging, with more movement and energy pumped into their songs than ever before. The band does this while balancing prior commitments and schoolwork and Schecter said, “I find that the closer [we get] to the deadline, it ends up being more of a priority.”
What are some challenges?
The challenges the band faces changes depending on the instrument or role in the band. For example, Schecter said, “For me personally, lyric memorization.” In years past, Schecter has been familiar with a majority of the songs played, but this time many are new or less familiar to him, so learning pages of new lyrics has been his biggest challenge. But for the rest of the band, practices have gone relatively smoothly, with the songs picked being less complicated than many of their other setlist staples.
They are stage veterans and being in front of a crowd no longer fazes them, with this being Schade’s 40th or 50th time playing music onstage. However, the band faces the challenge of playing to an unfamiliar audience, with growing fears that some, especially lowerclassmen who haven’t had as much experience with the band as the senior class has, might be less enthusiastic about a traditional band playing. They hope that with enough energy and popular song choices, they are able to entice those less-than-excited folks to join in.
How did they get the gig?
Godoy was the first to officially bring the idea up to the student government, who were very supportive of the idea, with Upper School history teacher Dan Polifka circulating the idea for years before. After multiple meetings earlier in the year when decisions on dates and band-DJ setup were made, the student government was fully on board, even going so far as to help fund the sound system.
As the date approaches, anticipation for the formal grows. The band is excited to show everything they’ve worked so hard for. Student government teachers Kylene Utah and Polifka said they had never seen a live band play at a school dance, even when they were in school. Everyone is excited to see how this live music experiment works, and maybe, Black Cherry could be the inspiration for a freshman to create their own band. On behalf of Black Cherry and the student government, I hope to see you out on the dance floor on February 8th at 8:30!
