During the Student Activities Council’s last open mic night, an unlikely group signed up to perform after the intermission. People spoke in hushed tones as a band, the only one to sign up for the event, took to the stage and prepared their equipment. No one knew who they were. Minutes later, they stole the show and the crowds erupted into thunderous applause, begging for an encore.
That band is the Little Engineers.
The gang is very new, with this being their first major showing since they started practicing. They are an indie folk-rock band that aims to please the niche they entertain, and genuinely enjoy playing for their crowd.
The group was formed roughly 3 weeks ago, by senior Christopher Lee. The moniker, the Little Engineers, actually came from when Chris was a solo artist. It has since added an “s” and transformed into a plural, and the group now includes Arnando Rosa, Casey Furey, and Shaun Plunkett. Ironically, Chris and Casey are the only engineering majors in the group.
“We all kind of met each other on the second floor lounge of the honors building. I was on the piano. Everyone else joined in, and Chris’ job was to headhunt people for another musical group.” Says Arnando. They formed a band because they all enjoy music, and wanted to share it with the community.
The song they played at the pub is a reflection their own personal experiences. “Deep December was about a girl I dated. She gave me an ultimatum. I gave her an ultimatum.” Chris said.
Their songwriting is a collaborative process; when Chris writes some lyrics, his band members critique, edit, and add on to it. Eventually, they end up with a piece that reflects their entire group and tells about their experiences.
The group is actually in the midst of a critical restructuring period. Their drummer is unfortunately too involved in other bands to commit a lot of time to the Engineers, and so they are looking for people to join the ensemble. “We are especially looking for drummers,” said Chris. “But we want to embrace more than that. We are looking for everyone, from every style, genre, and instrument. We want to experiment and see what works.”
So far, the band has enjoyed success with the passerby listening in on their jam sessions. They practice on the 2nd floor of the Honors Dorm, across from the offices and after quiet hour. “Our first real practice was 3 weeks ago… the people in the office freaked out when they saw us at first. We couldn’t play there until after it closed!” Chris shared.
The band has two upcoming shows, both of which will take place in Newark. The first show will take place at Door 11, on Central Ave. The next NJIT based show will take place on the 6th in the Highlander Pub.
The Little Engineers can be found on Facebook and SoundCloud.
The group can be reached via Chris, at [email protected]