Alumni Spotlight: Pant “Lets it Ring” With Debut EP
Many of the upperclassmen of HHHS will recall Hen Hud band Pant, who got their start in 2017 jamming on the top floor of the high school with Mr. Fredman after school. Originally called “Chicken and Waffles,” the band went through several lineups before landing on the lineup today; Hen Hud alumni Lucien Shelly (guitar), Morgan Davis (guitar), and Joe Fareed (vocals), as well as Frank Bubbico (Bass) and Leo Rinaldi (Drums), grads from neighbouring districts Putnam Valley and Croton respectively.
However, few would have guessed that this high school band would still be going strong two years post graduation, and releasing a professionally recorded debut EP of original work. It had been a long time dream of the bandmates to record and release music, and they finally decided that they “had to put something out there,” and bring this dream to life.
At college, where Davis studies guitar performance, Shelly and Fareed have taken music courses, and Bubbico plays in his school’s Jazz Ensemble, the band gained a more informed approach to writing and recording their own music, enhancing their ability to create an original EP.
The band credits Mr. Fredman’s support in the early stages of the group, Fareed noting that many of the songs on their upcoming release “stemmed from mere ideas 3-4 years ago in Mr. Fredman’s classroom” as members of Hen Hud’s BAM club, which “taught the band how to write, record, and perfect [their] music.” While Fareed is the primary songwriter of the group, every member contributes to writing music and lyrics for the band. Shelly stated that he approaches creative efforts like writing music “as a puzzle,” starting off with inspiration such as a specific chord progression then piecing together the rest of the song, while Bubbico expresses that he often uses songwriting as an outlet to “cope with real world events [he] experience[s].”
After working to compile and practice original material, Pant entered Koop Studio in Irvington, NY, and worked with Sam Wagner to record their debut album. The band describes the release as classic rock revival/alternative rock; they work to “mix their most dear inspirations into a heavy modern rock sound,” taking inspiration from classic rock legends like Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, and Pink Floyd, but also more eccentric musical icons that deviate from traditional rock sound, like Ween, King Crimson, and Parliament-Funkadelic. The band hopes to take inspiration from musical phenomenons like these, but create a unique sound that “innovate[s] on” what they’ve heard in the past instead of just recreating it.
On the EP, you can look forward to hearing Bubbico and Fareed’s vocals reinforce the “scathing tone” of the lyrics on “Glass Walls,” Rinaldi’s drum beats “go wild” on “Levitate Me,” and Shelly and Davis jam on the “powerhouse of a song” that is “PANT 3,” each member contributing individual talents to create a unique alt-rock sound.
While it is difficult to meet now that most of the band members have returned to college, the future of Pant is looking bright. The band remains strongly united, with Bubbico warmly regarding Pant as “a family he never knew he could have.” They plan to continue to write, play, and perform together, and have already started creating material for future projects, including side-project “The Blinds,” led by Fareed. The band assures us that “the future holds plenty of more Pantics.”
For now, be on the lookout for Pant’s debut EP, “Let It Ring,” out now on your favorite streaming service!
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Isolde is a senior at Hendrick Hudson. She has been a writer for The Anchor since freshman year. In addition to being a member of the Anchor staff, she...
