Student-formed garage bands aren’t all that rare. They’re generally known for playing rock or metal, annoying elderly neighbors, and occasionally landing a gig at someone’s party. Decidedly less common, however, is an amateur band that plays ska. Funk’n Awesome, made up of UC High students, is such a band.

Funk’n Awesome consists of Singer Kelten Hemingway, Guitarist Jeremy Kern, Bass Guitarist Stevie Singh, Trumpet Player Paul Sud, Tenor Saxophonist Justin Hempsey, Trombonist Stewart Bittle, and Drummer Ollie D’Amico. It used to include an eighth member, Brian Cook (also a guitarist), who moved away awhile back. “[Cook] had a large impact, especially helping us write songs. Since he left, we’ve been coming up with our own stuff. Other than that, it’s still the same core group of people just making music and having fun,” said Bittle.

The beginning of the band was a spontaneous one. “One day, a few of us were eating pizza, and we had the epiphany of, ‘Wow, we’re all musicians, we should start a band.’ That’s how Funk’n Awesome was born,” said D’Amico.

Their motivation arises both from shared interests and a deep attachment to music. “You get to do something that most kids don’t normally get to do. It’s one thing to just listen to music, it’s another to actually make it,” said Bittle.

For many students, ska may be an unfamiliar genre of music. D’Amico defined it as “a really good mix between reggae and punk rock,” and added that, “The main feature that distinguishes ska from punk rock is the ability to have a horn line and those other aspects of a song that a lot of bands don’t have.”

Funk’n Awesome’s influences includes popular ska groups, such as Streetlight Manifesto, Reel Big Fish, The Skank Agents, Big D and the Kids Table, Mustard Plug, and The Toasters. Besides including a pun that need not be explained, Funk’n Awesome’s own name references a component of the music. “We wanted to establish something that really resembled the feel of the music we were playing, and the funk is something that we like to elaborate on in a lot of our songs,” said D’Amico.

On March 2, the band performed at Queen Bee’s Art and Cultural Center, where their set list included “Socrates,” “Captain Cheese Whiz,” and their eponymous song “Funk’n Awesome.” They have around seven original songs, and also occasionally play covers. A few months ago, Funk’n Awesome benefited from the KPRi 102.1 Radio Station “Find Your Voice” program in the form of a performance in the UC High quad during lunch, which made them better known on campus.

Above all else, being in a band is about the fun of making music with other talented people. “They’re all incredible musicians, so just by hanging around them, you improve as well. You all get better collectively, as a whole,” said Hemingway. “We’ve become really great friends because of it, and we’ve all become better at creating our own music.”