On May 11, The folk-punk band Time Bug will perform a 20-minute set at Porchella at Tank Hall at 3:30 pm.
Porchella — which has become an Oberlin tradition — is the ultimate ‘darty.’ Every year, Tank Co-Op welcomes all students to their humble front porch for some sun with a groovy soundtrack. This year, there will be ten student bands and every group in the lineup seems cool, but there is something about Time Bug that makes them stand out.
The band members (“the bugs”) have been friends for a while, but they hadn’t played together until they were assigned to a group in Rando Bando — Oberlin’s most successful mixer, where random bands are assembled for a performance that takes place minutes later. The bug count currently stands at four with Ian Taylor on bass, Henry Pincus on backup guitar/vocals, Gabe Liftman on drums, and Naomi Kuropatwa on lead guitar/vocals.
I spoke with Liftman — one of the group’s main songwriters, along with Kuropatwa who also gigs as a DJ. They gave me the impression that each band member is pretty versatile in their role.
“Sometimes Gabe plays guitar and sings and I play drums. Usually that’s the swap that happens,” Kuropatwa explained.
They’ve been playing consistently since October, and it hasn’t taken them long to develop a super niche aesthetic. When asked about what genre they would consider themselves, the bugs categorized their sound as “music that goblins would like….Goblin-core-bug-forest-rock.”
Liftman and Kuropatwa talked back and forth about their vibe:
“It’s a lot about being like an escaped experiment — or lost,” Liftman said.
“It’s raw, like your fingers are bleeding,” Kuropatwa replied.
“Both of us have bled at concerts, actually.”
“Yeah, I had to get a tetanus shot.”
Their unique and grungy essence carries over to their music in what Liftman describes as “folk roots that they then extrapolate into postmodern weirdness.” They said that a lot of their tracks were born out of jam sessions, but that they also have some pretty heavy influences. Time Bug specifically mentioned Neutral Milk Hotel, Black Eyes, and Sydeny Gish, who just recently performed at the ‘Sco.
Kuropatwa said their Porchella set will be mostly originals, but that the group might try to sneak in a cover for fun. “We try to find things that already match our sound. I’m hoping to play “You’ve Passed” by Neutral Milk Hotel at this next upcoming concert.”
He said he has some tricks up his sleeve to get a reaction from the audience. “We switch instruments really fast and we like to have people be a little bit confused as they’re watching it.”
He’s especially excited for the performance because of the band’s recently discovered fans. About two shows ago, Kuropatwa noticed that Obies were remembering his lyrics, even though the band hasn’t released any music yet.
“It’s the craziest feeling to see the audience singing along to my words. It creeps me out — in a good way.”
Apparently Kuropatwa is the official unofficial bug stylist. He’s also more than ready to debut some matching antennae he plans on ordering.
“I have a closet full of some pretty weird options so I like to dress up the other band members. I just put Gabe in a little crop top with a shark on it and camo pants, and I usually give Ian some overalls and a crop top. Oh, there’re a lot of crop tops in Time Bug, actually. You don’t have to wear them to be in Time Bug, but like you kind of do. But you don’t.”
Porchella will be a rare opportunity to witness Time Bug in their element — outside, raw, and rocking.
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