Behind the Curtains of DARA OS
Picture this:
A palette of neon blue and purple hues floods the floor of the Turk Theater. A hush falls over the small crowd as a group of figures decked out head-to-toe in reflective silver chrome make their way to the front of the room.
I’ll admit it, I was taken aback, and judging by the expressions of the people around me, I wasn’t alone in my shock and uncertainty.
Yet, when the performance started, the atmosphere in the room changed. In an instant, these individual college kids transformed into a unified, synchronized force, commanding the attention of everyone watching.
The concert’s lineup consisted of five self-written songs, one cover, and a surprise interactive event at the end.
The members took turns at the microphone, sharing a bit about themselves and their song, then leading the performance. First up was Wren Jaskowian’s song “Robot Lucid Dreams,” followed by Stacy “Kip” Norris’ song “11/20,” then “Automnal.” By Dominic Fiore, “Ethereal” by Lucas Wessel, “Dance! To the Rhythm” by Evan Heise, and finally a cover of “Naruto: Bad Situation” performed by Silas Odum.
The songs all included a mix of different baseline beats, such as bass, guitar, chords, and melody. Heise’s song even included vocals. The group used a software program called “Live” that synchronized the beat makers, light shows, and self-made video visuals projected behind them. At the end of the show, the group performed what they called “build your own song,” where they had the crowd vote on different beats, bass lines, and chord progressions to create a song. They even invited some members of the audience to join in on stage.
Alby Odum, the DARA director, says the project takes the entire school year to create and finalize.
“We start in the fall time- the beginning of the year. I teach the controls then once they get the hang of it we jam out, and they start writing their own songs. After Christmas break we start putting the show together; they program their own light show and the video. Then we start practicing the whole show,” he said.
Guitar and bass player Silas Odum said the point behind the chrome suits was to “stand out.
Wessel joined the conversation, saying, “In every picture we take, we’re always stone-faced, hands in pockets, [in] some kind of pose. It helps make us look like a group. We’re not just a bunch of college students, like nah, we’re a group; come up and have fun with us.”
According to Wessel, the creative process “varies.”
“We usually go off on our own, write our own songs, then bring it to rehearsal and share. A lot of it is just collaboration. Everyone has artistic input and it makes it so much better than we first made it ourselves,” Wessel said
“It was a lot of hours,” band member Wren J chimed in. “It’s funny because that whole talk of 1000 hours to master something, then you take another 1000 hours to comprehend... One rehearsal we're like, let’s mess around, let’s start having a conversation with it. We’re playing, and it clicked in; there’s the 1000 hours kicking in."
“It’s my first [performance], so it was a little nerve wracking but this was my best one by far and I think it’s only going to get better,” said Musician and DARA member,
Dominic Fiore Odum echoed the sentiment, saying, “After the first one, it’s clockwork; it’s natural. Like with Lucas’ song, I add a bunch of modulations to the notes just because of how comfortable we are. I thought today’s performance was excellent."
"There is something so cool about having the crowd right in front of you; you’re connecting...and it just makes it that much more of a personal experience.”
Wessel, a saxophone player, ended the concert with what he calls “build your own song,” as a ”way to have the audience be more engaged with their shows.
“I always like getting the most energy out of everyone,” he said. “We want people up and cheering; we all want them to have fun and feel like they should be there. There is something so cool about having the crowd right in front of you; you’re connecting, and it just makes it that much more of a personal experience.”
Between the collective cheering and freestyled vocals, it’s fair to say the crowd was into it. DARA OS isn’t stopping there either, as they’re touring Illinois and playing up to six more shows.
“There was a lot of effort going on. This is just the beginning of our tour. We’re playing in naperville, we’re playing in minooka, even Joliet West I believe,” - Teacher Jeff Jaskowiak said
