THIS PAST FOOTBALL season, Indiana University turned heads with its Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, bringing home championship hardware. But there’s another side to the IU student body from turf and tailgating—the patios of college houses that have been turned into venues, at times with over 300 kids filing into a single backyard to listen to some rock ’n’ roll.
This is what a typical weekend looks like for the miscellaneous college bands in Bloomington. Indie, rock ’n’ roll, punk, and dream core spill from garages, apartment living rooms, and the old wood of decks, weaving through the lively weekend atmosphere. These kids have created their own Sunset Strip and are on a journey of discovering their talent and connecting to each other through their shared love for music.
Real Peak is one of these bands, made up of five friends who share a passion for creation and exploration. Their first single, indie rock track “First Sight,” hits you with a touch of nostalgia, moving you to jam out to the final instrumental break packed with lush layers of guitars, bass, and brass. It’s a tour de force of college band ballads.
You can feel the creative energy when talking to the guys, almost as if they’re buzzing, eager to pick up the instruments next to them and start playing in the middle of a conversation. They take their studies seriously, balancing their time as college students—keyboardist and trombonist Flynn Megaw even traveling all the way from New Zealand to study at the Jacobs School of Music—but they’re eager to make the most of their time in the Midwest through playing and writing songs together.
“This requires sacrifice. You have limited time,” says Freedom Eiden, singer and guitarist. “A lot of it goes towards school, and your free time can go towards more recreational things, hanging out with friends, and going out for parties. But if you want to achieve a lot as a band and actually sound good, then you sacrifice a lot of those other opportunities to put your time into the band.”
The house where the members of Real Peak live together is also where they run The 826, their own fully operating venue. Like other home-based venues in Bloomington, The 826 has its own culture and hosts other area acts on its stage. But the guys also love performing in other local spaces, like Tiny Garage, a high-energy spot in a garage, and Fork and Plate, an apartment known for smaller, acoustic sets.
“With my studies here, I don’t get the opportunity to play in all these different venues, like houses and garages, all across town. It’s a unique thing because I’m normally just playing at the facilities at school,” says Megaw. But with Real Peak, Megaw showcases his talents in front of audiences who wouldn’t normally show up to a university concert hall.
This is only the beginning for this band—and for many others in IU’s underground music scene. Everyone starts somewhere, even when it’s in a living room or backyard.
