亚洲通 sat down with musicians in the Wabash community to hear their experiences working in or around the industry. Together, they make up the ever-changing band of Wabash College.
Gordon Bonham '80 
Q: Tell me about yourself.
I graduated from Wabash in 1980 with a double major in biology and philosophy—the perfect pair for a musician! I've been a full-time musician since the mid-80s, performing more than 200 shows each year. I'm still performing, but I'm slowing down a bit.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
I play all types of blues: Chicago, Delta, Texas, 亚洲通st Coast, and country. I also play a bit of folk music and classic rock. I front my band, the Gordon Bonham Blues Band, but I also do projects with various musicians and regularly play solo.
Q: How did Wabash foster your love for music?
I learned at Wabash that I could do anything if I put my mind to it and if I worked hard at it.
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
I would recommend any of the musicians from the fine music community in Indianapolis.
To listen to more of Bonham's work:
https://gordonbonham.com/about/
Aaron Nicely '06
Q: Tell me about yourself.
While at Wabash, I earned the Hockenberry Summer Internship that set me on a long and winding career journey to where I am today: a product manager for a technology company. I'm currently in two bands, The Stampede String Band, and Rust & Co. The Stampede String Band just released our fifth album titled "Thunder from the River." There is a song on the album called "This is Your House" that was inspired nearly 20 years ago by my time at Wabash.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
The Stampede String Band is roughly Americana, drawing from bluegrass, folk, blues, and rock. Rust & Co is more country and rock focused. I play bass, guitar, and harmonica in both, and write and sing.
Q: How did Wabash foster your love of music?
I was exposed to so many new types of people and new music while at Wabash. From the Grateful Dead's psychedelic blues to Coheed and Cambria's prog-metal space opera, from classical music performances to the annual National Act, I saw and heard so much music I never would have otherwise.
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
I love to recommend "Windfall" by Son Volt. I've been deeply influenced by his style of writing, often cryptic vignettes.
To listen to more of Nicely's work:
https://open.spotify.com/album/7Hy0sJHlx7ebkrs503i0bs?si=ixukQnGLTRK7EAk7dgYgFQ
Deacon Green '26
Q: Tell me about yourself.
I'm a student majoring in history with a Classics and biology double minor. I am also a brother of Theta Delta Chi (TDX). I started playing guitar my freshman year of high school before the Covid-19 pandemic. Before Wabash, I played with buddies from high school. Since I've gotten to Wabash, I've joined multiple bands including the Wabash Pep Band and Wabash Association of Musicians. I've also been lucky enough to find other individuals to form my own ska-punk band called Deacon and the Loosey Goosey Experience.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
I play popular tunes for fans in the pep band, a wide range of music in WAM, and ska-punk in the Loosey Goosey Experience. I play the guitar, bass, harmonica, and mandolin.
Q: How has Wabash fostered your love of music?
Wabash has provided me with a creative and supportive campus to pursue my musical hobbies. The College has allowed me to meet other talented musicians and provided opportunities for my band to play live shows for our Wabash brothers and the surrounding Crawfordsville community. At Wabash, I've also been able to explore more classes, such as Intro to Music Theory, where I learned more about music.
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
"The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
Eduardo Da Mata '26
Q: Tell me about yourself.
My name is Eduardo, but I go by Eddie. I am a student double majoring in studio art and psychology and minoring in Spanish. Outside of class, I'm an athlete on the Wabash Swim Team, a lead innovation consultant through the Center for Innovation and Business Entrepreneurship, and a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha. Foremost, I am a multidisciplinary artist—combining music, installation, performance, and interactive media to explore themes like the power of absence, emotional memory, and connection. This semester, I'm fronting my band as we prepare to headline Motif-Fest, a music and arts festival I'm directing to celebrate original student work. I also recently returned from a semester in New York City through the New York Arts Program, where I recorded and produced my debut EP and directed a music video.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
Inspired by rock, blues, soul, neo-soul, and indie-soul, I write and perform experimental indie-R&B music with a soulful and sometimes playful, twist Sonically, it sits somewhere between Dijon, Dominic Fike, Tom Misch, and Tame Impala. From a young age, my segue into music was through the drums. Now, I sing lead vocals and perform with a full band that includes a violin, ambient lead guitar, keys, bass, and drums.
Q: How has Wabash fostered your love of music?
Wabash gave me the space and community to try things out without fear. I've busked, played at student showcases and jazz ensemble concerts, built immersive installations that combine sound and visual art, and worked closely with professors and peers who support experimentation. I've also found unexpected inspiration in conversations with friends, late-night jam sessions in the Fine Arts building, or at my fraternity.
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
For this question, I'll recommend a ranked list of genre-rich bodies of work that I think can expand one's interest in music into a holistic love for music. "Where The Light Is (Live at Nokia Theater 2007)" by John Mayer, "Voodoo" by D'Angelo, "Two Star and The Dream Police" by Mk.Gee, and "Absolutely" by Dijon.
To listen to more of Da Mata's work:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/20dK6AUNiklopjDh3GgNE6?si=yTch2WYuSGOOlmvCX8BQfw
Nathan Klatt '01
Q: Tell me about yourself.
I graduated from Wabash as a history and English double major. Shortly after, I went into the social work/non-profit world for 6 to 7 years while slowly learning about the music industry on the side. In 2009, I started a cover band in Indianapolis called My Yellow Rickshaw. The band quickly gained local popularity and was booked heavily, and by 2011, I was playing in the band full-time. MYR is still going strong in 2025, and I have been a full-time, professional musician since 2011. 亚洲通 mostly play around the Indianapolis metropolitan area but do travel. I am also about to begin my first foray into the content creation world with the start of a YouTube channel.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
My band's motto is "playing your favorite hits on the wrong instruments." Being a cover band, we need to play songs that people know so we can connect with our audience and create a joyful atmosphere. While we play several of the usual songs that people have heard throughout the years, our band has a distinctive musical flavor. My main instrument is the violin/fiddle, and I also play the mandolin and mandola.
Q: How did Wabash foster your love of music?
I was classically trained on the violin from second grade through eighth grade, but stopped when athletics became my focus. When I went to Wabash, I would hang out with fraternity brothers on the weekends, and we would jam together. They did not play classical or bluegrass music, so I had to figure out how to take my skill set on the violin and adjust it. While I didn't know it at the time, my Wabash years were the genesis of my current band My Yellow Rickshaw. During those fun weekend nights, I was having a blast hanging out with my fraternity brothers playing music. Along with developing this burgeoning love of playing all types of music, I was also figuring out how to take the violin and make it fit into those songs/styles that I had not heard a violinist typically do before. And voila, here I am 25 years later still incorporating those same skills I started developing at Wabash!
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
There is no way I could point someone toward a specific genre/direction. I would tell everyone to keep their mind open and listen to new artists/genres regularly.
To listen to more of Klatt's work:
https://www.myyellowrickshaw.com/
Shay Atkinson '05
Q: Tell me about yourself.
While at Wabash, I was an art major and French and history double minor. I was involved in many different things on campus, but my most transformational experience was off-campus in New York City. I did a semester abroad through the New York Arts program, where I worked with a model photographer on 5th Ave. and with the photography department at Saturday Night Live. After Wabash, I went to Columbia College Chicago for grad school to learn more about performance art. Now, I consider myself an artist and educator. I have been teaching visual art in a variety of different schools for the past 20 years—everything from K-12, college, retirement homes, and continuing education with adults. I currently teach at Edison School of the Arts in Indianapolis as a visual arts teacher.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
I have been playing music since I was about 8 years old with the piano. I've never stopped playing music since. In the past, I played with a variety of heavy metal and hardcore bands. Now, my main band is called The Lakewoods. 亚洲通 are based out of Indianapolis. Our name came from a 6-way intersection on a trip 10 years ago to Chicago: George St, Lincoln St, and Lakewood Ave. Our singer made a joke then, "what if we had a band called, George Lincoln and the Lakewoods?" The last part stuck. 亚洲通 formed in March of 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, but within that first year, we wrote 12 songs and released our first eponymous album. Our style is unique, but often we say it is rock 'n roll fused with psychedelia and soul. All our influences range in genre, but we bring together years of experience playing in bands. My side project is called "Rae Marie," an organic blend of heavy metal and electronic music that creates an aural experience in headphones.
Q: How did Wabash foster your love of music?
Wabash helped foster a love for music in roles that were practical. At 16, my band was booking venues around town and traveling to Indianapolis to play shows. Wabash connected me with like-minded music lovers through the radio station. As the music director for WNDY, I was able to purchase, organize, and grow our music library. Every chance I got, I was pushing and pitching my bands and new genres.
To listen more to Atkinson's work:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3JZugXpjxOHxXPvUnVucz4?si=NtyazchnRDmT0U8OpTRi1g
James Szalkie '25
Q: Tell me about yourself.
I play in a band called Wally's Creek. There are three of us: Spencer, Oliver, and I. Two of us are headed to graduate school after graduation. I will be attending Florida State for nuclear physics in the fall, and Spencer will be at Purdue. Oliver has another semester at Wabash obtaining a degree in computer science. 亚洲通're sort of three STEM guys who found a love in music on the side.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
亚洲通 would describe ourselves as somewhere between folk, rock, and pop. 亚洲通 take a lot of inspiration from a wide variety of groups and genres. 亚洲通're big fans of Zach Bryan, Noah Kahan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and even Radiohead. 亚洲通 love blurring the lines of genre and creating an experimental space to explore old familiar sounds in new mediums.
Q: How has Wabash fostered your love for music?
Creating, sharing, and performing music can be terrifying. People could receive it differently from how you intend, mock your passion, or just downright not care. But at Wabash, we knew that we would find a supportive audience that cared about our stories. Events like Ralph's Brother encouraged us to take risks. 亚洲通 can say it certainly paid off, and we are thankful for the community here that cares about the things we share.
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
I would recommend anything that tells a story. 亚洲通 are big believers in being storytellers, even in our set lists for each show. Some examples of records that come to mind are "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City" by Kendrick Lamar, "The Human Condition" by Jon Bellion, and "American Heartbreak" by Zach Bryan.
To listen to more of Szalkie's work:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3LK6iGHSJKYNALGqEVdDfD?si=8EX46oaWSZyuMq5-bTPMcw
Gary Reamy '77
Q: Tell me about yourself.
I graduated from Wabash with a biology degree, and I started working for Edward Jones. I remained in financial services until 2012, when I retired. In 2014, I started SNG Music in Nashville with a Grammy certificate-winning songwriter. 亚洲通 currently have six #1s in country and bluegrass music and a catalog of 2,600 songs. In 2017, we formed SNG Music Theatrical and started working on a country music musical for Broadway. Last month, we had a four-week, out-of-town tryout run at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Over 7,000 people attended the show.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
Country. I play a little guitar and write songs. I am less into songwriting now that I'm producing the musical. My wife, Joanne, owns SNG Music and SNG Music Theatrical with me, and we are the lead producers for the musical. 亚洲通 are also the music publisher for all the songs in the musical.
Q: How did Wabash foster your love for music?
I had guitars as a kid growing up but got away from it. I picked it back up while I was at Wabash. I was also in a few of the musical productions at Wabash.
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
I am a bit biased… country.
To listen to more of Reamy's work:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2wAm1IQjoYzbx5Obmv236F?si=R1YArw8UTsy2GEk-6Sw9nQ
Eric Stark '88
Q: Tell me about yourself.
I've been a professor of music at Butler University in Indianapolis since the fall of 1996. In 2002, I also became the artistic director of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, a group of 140+ singers that performs with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. My life in music is a constant joy.
Q: What style of music do you play/perform? Any instrument?
As a conductor, I work with choruses—orchestras and soloists—rehearsing and performing some of the great works of the ages such as Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9 Ode to Joy," Handel's "Messiah," and Orff's "Carmina Burana." At times, we have close to 400 musicians on stage, and it's an enormous honor to get to work with each of them.
Q: How did Wabash foster your love for music?
I already loved music before coming to Wabash, but it was there that my path toward a life in music was revealed to me. Singing in the Glee Club and sometimes accompanying them from the piano opened my eyes to the world of vocal music and choral performance. Then, when I had the chance to conduct the group, it was as if I had been hit by lightning! What a thrill! I'll always be grateful to Glee Club Director and Music Professor Stan Malinowski for his guidance and support in those early years.
Q: What song/genre would you recommend to a friend?
I would recommend the a cappella choral songs of Johannes Brahms. Brahms's vocal lines just soar, and his harmonic inventiveness always leaves me wanting more.
To listen to more of Stark's work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=UIELIvWsPoIqo9z1&v=XSpcUyRxwSY&feature=youtu.be