Beekeeper is a project completely put into motion by Aaron Lerch (third-year Mechanical Engineer). Known as the drummer of one of Stevens’ most well-known live acts “Behind The Curtain,” Lerch has written and produced this project without any limitations on his creativity. While the project is mostly driven by Lerch, he has not hesitated to bring on collaborators to make the best product possible.
Like many other musical projects from the last year, “Beekeeper” was inspired by the endless emotions caused by the pandemic. According to Lerch, this project has allowed him to get out of his comfort zone as a performer, a producer, and a songwriter. The group’s debut single “Time to Go” came out late last year, and it did just that.
“The song ended up being a real test of what I was able to accomplish musically I suppose. This was the first song that I fully produced myself start to finish. I pushed myself out of my instrumental expertise – tracking bass and rhythm guitar as well as drums.”
Aaron Lerch
Also heard on this track are a pair of fellow Stevens students. A.J. Kasper (third-year Music and Technology Major) provides the dynamic lead guitar lines, and Anthony Paolantonio (third-year Computer Engineer) provides his voice. While Lerch and Kasper knew each other through “Behind The Curtain,” Paolantonio came onto the project after Lerch Instagram-messaged him, despite barely knowing each other prior.
The song itself is a laid-back, melodically driven indie rock track defined by a mix with incredible depth and clarity. Inspired by some of the biggest names in indie such as Pinegrove and Snail Mail, the track features classic indie rock tonality and instrumentation. However, this does not stop it from having a sea of beautifully blended vocal harmonies. While that’s happening, a creative panning scheme allows multiple lead guitar lines, provided by Kasper, to be shredding at once while not sacrificing any clarity in the vocals or drums. And the very metaphorical lyrics blend with the instrumentation well throughout, flowing with the band at some points and contrasting at others.
While indie rock is quoted as a major influence, Lerch is insistent on not placing any limit on the creative potential of “Beekeeper.” The group was one of the openers at last week’s virtual Techfest event, where they performed a song written especially for the performance with a greatly different feel from “Time to Go.”
“We decided to write a new song for this event. We all worked quickly to whip up a demo, the next week we recorded it live in Hoboken. The vibe of this track is very different than “Time To Go.” It sounds like a completely different band all together, but that’s what Beekeeper is about.”
Aaron Lerch
According to Lerch, we can expect more music from Beekeeper soon, with multiple songs in the works preparing for a spring release and aspirations of live performances as we look towards the summer.
“Making music is one of the things that keep me sane, so I’d like to do it as much as possible. It’s especially tough when your collaborators are not there in the room with you, though. Once life gets back to normal, I intend on pumping out a lot more songs and certainly playing as many live shows as possible.”
Aaron Lerch
“Time to Go” is available on all major streaming platforms now and be sure to be on the lookout for the latest releases from Aaron Lerch and “Beekeeper.”
Stevens Music Spotlight is an Opinion culture column written and created by Trevor La Due to increase the knowledge and give reviews of music produced by Stevens students.
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