Professors, alumni perform in progressive rock band

USD percussion instructor Darin Wadley said he always dreamed of being in a rock band. Now, alongisde a group of other USD professors and alumni, Wadley is leaving out that dream.

The Camellia Quintet is a new rock group made up of USD professors and alumni. Right now, they are playing the music of King Crimson, a progressive rock band Wadley grew up listening to. They had their first two concerts last week at USD and Augustana.

With Wadley on the drums and vocals, the other four members — C.J. Kocher, Brian Hanegan, Joel Shotwell and Ryan Hofer — all play the saxophone.

Kocher said playing King Crimson’s music is difficult because it presents complex rhythms and harmonies, as well as improvisation. Because of the complicated nature of King Crimson’s music , Wadley decided to arrange it for saxophone. He said he has always wanted to be a part of a rock group.

“I get to play this music that I grew up listening to,” Wadley said. “Finally, I get to play it on drum set. My dream was always to play in a band just like this so I actually got to play these crazy weird tunes and rock out. It’s so fun.”

Kocher, professor of saxophone and jazz studies, plays the soprano saxophone for the Camellia Quintet. Kocher said he decided to join the group because progressive rock is different than anything he has played before.

“We have to create a really wide range of sound qualities, from beautifully blended sounds to harsh and edgy ones,” Kocher said. “It is always fun and rewarding playing good music with good musicians. It’s even better when it is a good group of people to hang out with, too.”

The Camellia Quintet had their first two concerts last week at USD and Augustana.

Wadley said he was happy with the turnout for their first performances and is looking forward to the ones in the future.

“There’s a whole body of people who like the band King Crimson and usually they look really close to what I look like,” Wadley said. “Older guys, with beards and slightly long hair. And so, looking out into the audience, you can kind of pick out who came because of that.”

In the future, Wadley said he plans to arrange more of a variety of rock music for the group, such as Pink Floyd. He said he wants people to recognize the tunes but hear them in a completely different way.

“The idea is to just keep evolving what we’re playing and getting together and jamming,” Wadley said. “It’s what I do for fun but it’s also part of my research in my field. Our research is performing.”