Zoe Bernstein sat down with the members of Elbow Joint, a finalist for the SGA Battle of the Bands competition, ahead of the final competition. The band consists of Gil Armstrong, Nate Fulmer, Ira Cherniak, Grant Alderman and Richard Reynolds.
Bernstein: Why did you guys decide to participate in Battle of the Bands?
Alderman: My old band did it last year, and it was freaking awesome.
Bernstein: Can you explain the name of your band?
Fulmer: My dad’s in a band. He’s been playing music since he was, like, 12. He heard about mine — well, we weren’t even a band yet — and he told us, “Y’all really need a band name,” and my dad just spam texted, like, 30 band names. I think I opened my phone and the first one I saw was “Elbow Joint,” and I told the guys, and they said all right.
Bernstein: What inspires you to make music and perform?
Reynolds: As cliche as it sounds, it’s super fun. It’s kind of like a freeing experience.
Alderman: Some people go on runs and they forget about what’s troubling them for a couple of hours. Up here I just have to dial into the music.
Fulmer: For me, it’s definitely two things. It’s the longest I can go without getting on my phone, I go like six hours playing music and not get on my phone. I also remember seeing my dad play growing up, and I remember telling him “I want to do that.”
Bernstein: What does music mean to you?
Reynolds: I’m going to give the most corny answer ever: everything.
Cherniak: When you have awesome moments of music, it’s the best thing, because that music is bringing people together.
Bernstein: Why do you think you deserve to win?
Armstrong: I think we’re the best band. I think we deserve to win because we try hard, we play a lot of gigs, [and] we put a lot of time and energy into this.
The final competition will be held Nov. 13 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Druid City Music Hall. Individual tickets are $10 and can be purchased on the SGA’s Facebook and Instagram pages or at the venue. Online ticket orders can be picked up in the SGA office in the Student Center Nov. 6-8 from noon to 5 p.m.
