Back to School Notes from college: 5 local bands that stayed in school

Ditching an early-morning class can be tempting, especially if the night before was spent headlining the local bar. Next day “guitar neck” aches and unsympathetic professors only worsen the walk of shame to the lecture hall. If only songs could be handed in as essays, and rocking out be counted as extra credit. Such are the trials of the college musician. Here, The A.V. Club looks at five local acts whose members juggle the daunting tasks of being in a band and working toward a degree.

Class act: Coconut Beach
As its name implies, Coconut Beach plays mellowed-out garage rock that takes the mind to a lazy day spent on the surf. The duo of Ryan Simpson and Mike Katz share the instrumental duties of a full band, taking turns on vocals, guitar, drums, and bass (and sometimes keyboard). Upcoming live shows will feature stripped-down sets, occasionally with a few guest musicians on board. The two are currently working on their yet-to-be-titled full-length, due later this year. Expect a Let It Bloom-era Black Lips sound, possibly laced with even more illicit substances.
Lessons learned? “We had three or four shows at the end of this past semester,” says Simpson, who’s majoring in film studies at CU-Boulder. “On top of that I was juggling a film show and all of my final exams. The pressures that come with being a film student and being in a band are worth it, they can just overwhelm you sometimes.”
School song: “I’m Gone” is about how the weight of responsibilities, academic or otherwise, can lead to the demise of personal relationships.

Class act: Dovekins
Dovekins is a rambunctious sextet of string- and percussion-wielding folkies. With the ability to turn just about any inanimate object into a shaking, thudding, resonating instrument, their live shows tend to reverberate with a crazy, moonshine-fueled energy. Joining up with this year’s Tour de Fat—New Belgium’s traveling bicycle festival, which goes through the end of October—Dovekins is out now behind its newest, Assemble The Aviary.
Lessons learned? “Being on tour and staying enrolled in school online is challenging,” says drummer Max Barcelow, who’s a Spanish major at Colorado State University. “You want to meet people and stay involved in the touring life, and even without school, it can be tough to avoid a constant string of partying. This semester will take a lot of mental stability.”
School song: “No Ability” is a don’t-tread-on-me outcry against those who would try to quiet creativity and individuality.

Class act: Fingers Of The Sun
After disbanding The Pseudo Dates, Nathan Brasil and Suzi Allegra spawned the peace-love-and-music-inspired Fingers Of The Sun. The group (rounded out by Meghan Wilson, Marcus Renninger, Jamie Bryant, and Fez Garcia) evokes the spirit of the ’60s, but it's more than just a hippie revival act—traces of post-punk alternative noise stud the overall sound. 
Lessons learned? “In a way, being in school has been an incredible luxury,” says Brasil, a philosophy major at the University of Colorado at Denver. “It’ll suck to pay off student loans, but in the meantime they give us financial space and allow us time to tailor our hours and be better musicians.”
School song: “Goodbye Summer,” a nostalgic lament about the passing of summer and the daily grind of the new school year.

Class act: Lust-Cats Of The Gutters
Lust-Cats Of The Gutters are all about thrashing, ball-grabbing guitar licks paired with fast-pounding beats, topped off with voices that range from smooth growls to piercing screams of defiance. Riot girrrl fortitude drips from their entire catalog, though the danceable sound is more Le Tigre than Bikini Kill. Those who caught Lust-Cats at last month’s lady-centered Titwrench Festival can testify: These chicks are the cat’s fucking meow.
Lessons learned? “Scheduling separate school and band priorities is time-consuming,” says Robin Edwards, an English lit major at UCD, “but the part of my brain that processes school is different from the creative part that emerges when we write our songs together at band practice.”
School song: “Nothing Cool Happens On Dates” was written in lieu of writing a term paper.

Class act: Hot White
Don’t be fooled by this baby-faced trio—Hot White is anything but innocent. Performances boom with rhythmic drum pounding, droning basslines, and spiraling guitar climbs; pierced through by singer-bassist Tiana Bernard’s haunting, maniacal vocals. Hot White often blurs the line between band and audience, as pervasive audience interaction (including literal mud-slinging) is almost always a guarantee. Be warned: A change of clothes is recommended.
Lessons learned? “The college dropout rate in our band has been detrimental,” says Bernard, who’s currently undeclared at UCD. “The band and school schedules conflicted to a point of dropping [entire] semesters, and the academic probation you face when trying to get back on track is ridiculous. Even if you bring up your grades on your own, you need to have three separate school counselors fit you into non-existent time slots to determine that you’re mentally stable enough to stay enrolled in school.”
School song: “ISTWD” details the life of student-turned-cannibal Issei Sagawa. Bernard half-jokingly worries that she too will crack under the pressures of school and retaliate by feasting upon a fellow classmate.