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Courtesy: Deepali Ramaiah

Courtesy: Deepali Ramaiah

It’s another Thursday night in the epicenter of global thought, Glendale, Arizona, and the usual crowd of Thursday night owls have seized a dive bar normally filled with leather appareled bikers and broken dreams, Kimmyz (not a spelling error).  Tonight, though, it’s filled with the sounds of The Graduates, Thunderbird’s own student band, and the normal mix of Kenny Loggins and Journey (not a bad thing) have been replaced with live covers of Avicii and Macklemore hits (also not a bad thing).

The Graduates, a band consisting of Matthew Erley on acoustic guitar and vocals,  Geoff Howell on electric guitar and vocals, Anush Kumar on bass, Thomas Carpenter on keyboard and other instruments, and Vinay Ramakrishnan on drums, began their gigs at Kimmyz with a well attended concert last trimester, and were invited back for another night of fun at the bar.

I had a chance to speak with the drummer, Vinay, who was a professional drummer back in his

Courtesy: Deepali Ramaiah

Courtesy: Deepali Ramaiah

home country of India.  He said that he was connected into the music scene at Thunderbird before he even arrived in Glendale.  His cousin, a current T-bird, informed him about Global Sounds, the music club on campus.  After a performance at a regional night last trimester, The Graduates began their off-campus dates.

It’s a welcome change from the pub, Kimmyz.  Cheaper drinks, live music, and the looks of confusion on the faces of the regulars makes it completely worth it.  An older gentleman who most likely dusted off his old disco garb for the evening was cutting several rugs by the end of the night.  Everyone was having a great time, but like most nights in America, the fun ended all too early.

Here’s hoping another event by The Graduates at Kimmyz comes very soon.