Keeping Jazz Alive
After Hours is a Jazz ensemble made up of six UCSB students, Nick Wrubel, Cary Higgins, Aiden le Roux, Kevin, Victor, and Georgia Goldsmith. They are a newer band, starting in November of 2021, but have staked their place in the IV band community, providing jazzy sounds to sing and dance too.
The crowd enjoying Higgins on the guitar.
A great mix of trumpet, keys, and drums.
Trumpets have been polished, the drums sticks are out, and the bass is warming up, After Hours is about to perform. The crowd is gathering, people swaying to the music playing over the speakers, waiting in anticipation for Georgia Goldsmith to start singing and the band to start spreading their youthful jazz sound.
An After Hours concert brings in IV crowds because of its brassy sound. The trumpet is not common in many of the usual rock bands that play on DP yards. Whoops and hollers can be heard as Cary Higgins strums his guitar, pairing perfectly with Aiden le Roux on drums. Le Roux points to the band's fun and more mellow vibe as a key to their success.
"Most college bands focus on rock, or indie rock sounds," le Roux said, "but we like to stick to songs you can sway to and sing with friends in a more mellow atmosphere."
After Hours covered "Put Your Records On" by Corrine Bailey Rae and it was a hit at their show this past Saturday. It's not the usual party music you might hear on the streets of Isla Vista but its a fun take on jazz that most young adults are not aware of.
"Jazz can be really fun to listen to," le Roux said. "It doesn't take a jazz expert to appreciate the intricate sounds, the horns, keys, and drums create such a fun sound and I think most young adults ignore it."
After Hours hopes to bring more appreciation of jazz to UCSB students, and their schedules, already crammed with classes, are also full of shows and practices. They often play at shows with other bands, like Lot 22 and The Framers, making for a fun experience with a variety of music. Their band may not stick together after college, but they all hope to continue music in their futures, as a few of them are music majors.
"We all want to continue making music and playing instruments," said le Roux, "but we're all from different places and are graduating at different times, we are hoping to visit each other though since this band brought us so close together, and maybe we'll jam together then."
After Hours cover of "Put Your Records On"
Their jazzy sound that will continue in their futures
