Are They Scientists?

Exploring the universe with "We are Scientists"

By Eleni Adams
Staff Writer

When it comes to the more thought-provoking things in life, We Are Scientists don’t mess around. Some scientists spend their lives toiling over quantum physics or biogenetics. For Chris Cain, Keith Murray, and Michael Tapper this is not the case. These three graduates of the Claremont Colleges have far more important matters to tackle. For starters, We Are Scientists are mastering the game of pool, cornering the kitten breeding business, and have pondered the meaning of life as an ant, an ant-lion and a masked anteater, respectively. Oh yeah, they’re also in a band, and a pretty good one at that.     

Formed roughly at the end of the last century, the band’s musical aspirations began to take shape whilst all three members were eager, young scholars at the cornucopia of knowledge known as the 5-Cs. Fast forward to the present and We Are Scientists find themselves relocated to Brooklyn, New York and on the brink of releasing their debut full-length. (Previous self-releases are available through the band’s website www.wearescientists.com.) They’ve joked about titling their assuredly brilliant masterpiece 'Muscles Under the Muscle Shirt of God', but as of press time, official details remain a tantalizing mystery. Adoring fans and cynics alike will have to bide their time until next fall when the album is slated for release. That may seem like a long time, but take heart- We Are Scientists assures us that their number one priority in the next few months is to play as many shows as possible. And judging from their March 26th show at Pomona, these boys are not to be missed.

The night of their performance at the Smith Campus Center, all three members were kind enough to sit down for a brief chat on the finer things in life (which, for the record, include light bulbs and lightening, but absolutely no lite beer). Fresh from a gig at Austin’s SXSW music festival, they appeared relaxed and happy. They’ve left their day jobs and they have continued their quest to conquer the world of rock ‘n roll. 

The band has begun a stretch of touring, including a brief stint in Europe. Put these three on the road and there is no end to the amount of trouble they’re bound to stir up. Today is no exception. The band filled the time between shows with a variety of activities including paying a visit to the Santa Anita racetrack- their horse came in last. Upon their arrival in Claremont, the guys set to work practicing for their budding careers as professional pool players and Mexican wrestling mask models (Pictures of the latter can be found the band’s website). Always the pinnacles of fashion, I ask Michael about the fuzzy kitten sticker affixed to his sweater. “Dude!” Keith interjects, “There is nothing this man owns that has not been destroyed by all six ends of a kitten.” Sheepishly, Michael admits to adopting a stray cat that wasted no time giving birth to a litter of kittens within the confines of his apartment. “This one looks like Tiger” he says, pointing to his sweater. Even future rock stars have their soft spots.

And, as if their love for baby animals wasn’t enough to inspire teenyboppers everywhere to let out a chorus of longing sighs, WAS are all about the romance. You won’t find them crooning love songs a la Barry White (though watch out for a hilarious cover of Snoop’s “Gin and Juice) but they will soon be playing the wedding of a happy couple who met on Pomona’s campus at a We Are Scientists show back in the day. Granted, Chris admitted, “they were the only two people there,” but the lovebirds remain hardcore fans, making the trek from San Diego to L.A. every time the band comes to town.

Charming nature aside, when it comes to music We Are Scientists mean business. The L.A. based Ram It Home started off the night with a garage-blues sound reminiscent of The Black Keys, followed by the danceable pop of Bishop Allen. During the opening sets, the crowd continued to grow and by the time We Are Scientists took the stage, the audience was ready to rock. “I’m going to be jumping on this couch!” exclaimed one excited fan.  Sure enough, WAS put on a show that did not disappoint. They treated the crowd to a host of familiar favorites with plenty of new material thrown in. The group’s playing was tight, their lyrics catchy, and their pop rhythms infectious. Scientists they may be, but we guarantee there aren’t any physicists or bioengineers out there who can rock this hard.