The flagship band of Theta Epsilon, the men’s music fraternity, made its premier performance at the close of Welcome Party under the name Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mamas.
Composed of seniors, the Bahama Mammas include Aidan Christian as lead singer, John Frenz on drums, Jeremy Holford as lead guitar, Erik Teder on rhythm guitar and piano, and Luka Vitale on bass.
“For the last 12 years, the music fraternity has had a live performance band that comprises four or five of the guys that they think can do the best on stage,” Christian said. “Jett Cruz isn’t its own entity, but it’s a continuation of a 12-year-old band, and I am just the newest edition.”
Christian joined the band this year to replace former lead singer Stephen Berntson, who graduated in the spring.
“Stephen and I play two very different music styles,” Christian said. “I like Stephen’s music and I loved his performance, so it can be a little bit daunting. I hope I can do Stephen’s legacy justice.”
Holford is returning for his third year with the band.
“I was invited on two years ago when it was Spike Jäger and the Spitfires as rhythm guitar, and I said yes,” Holford said. “Next year, the lead guitarist graduated. I became the leading guitarist and that was when we changed to Jay Jameson and the Car Bombs.”
Each year, the band members rename themselves after alcohol that represents their charisma.
“It’s based on the scheme of Type of Alcohol and the Mixed Drinks,” Teder said. “We had a few ideas for the name this year. We picked Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mamas because it is thematically unified and demonstrates a whimsical component that comes through in our playing.”
Although the name and band members change every year, the band is rooted in the mission of Theta Epsilon, Christian said.
“The mission of the fraternity is musical brotherhood,” Christian said. “That’s what it’s for. I think a lot of people think that what we do is get together so that we can form bands and put on shows, but that’s not it. Our focus is mainly to invest that music and that brotherhood into ourselves, but it’s also a very primary mission of Theta Epsilon to pour out that music into campus in any way we can and penetrate campus with our chords.”
Teder said he sees music as a way to serve other people.
“I would way rather play ‘Cake by the Ocean’ and look out and see that everybody’s having a good time than play ‘Weird Fishes’ by Radiohead and everybody’s looking around and wondering ‘What am I doing here?’” Teder said. “There’s an energy that comes from people that are interested in what you’re doing and that makes you play better and it makes it a lot more enjoyable.”
All five members are very dedicated to the band, which usually means they are ready to perform after only one run-through, Teder said.
“Everybody in it is really serious about music and serious about practicing, which is a big deal because I think anybody who’s been in a non-school sanctioned music group knows that there’s always somebody who didn’t learn the stuff,” Teder said. “What’s nice with this group is we all just show up and practice. We just have one practice and everything goes well, and then we play.”
While the band takes their music seriously, they also form unique friendships through their music, Holford said.
“It’s definitely a tight band culture,” Holford said. “We’ll get together when we discuss the music list, we’ll go over to someone’s house and have some beers and just talk about it together. That’s always fun.”
Holford said he encourages students to play in a band.
“It’s a great experience,” Holford said. “You’ll never really have the same kind of opportunity to play for all people your age with that level of energy unless you make it big or something.”
For Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mammas, their era has just begun.
“I just hope that the campus is ready for what we’re bringing to them, because from now on it’s all Jett Cruz all the time,” Christian said.
