Teachers rock the stage

Emily Nicholas, First-Level Reporter|December 16, 2019

In October, three Milton High School teachers formed a band called 7:30 Punch In.

The members include Music Teachers Ms. Alyssa Williams and Mr. Eric Bergmueller and English Teacher Mr. Wesley Cromley. Mr. Cromley and Mr. Bergmueller are vocals while Ms. Williams plays the drums. Mr. Bergmueller also plays guitar and keyboard, and Mr. Cromley plays bass.

Ms. Williams said Mr. Cromley brought the idea from his former job at Midd-West school district, where he was in a band called ACT 48, and she thought it would be fun. Mr. Bergmueller said after that, they simply said “we’re doing this,” and formed the band.

Mr. Bergmueller said the band doesn’t have any original songs, but it might be something they pursue in the future. He added that their main genre is a mix of classic and modern rock, but they also play other genres of music.

Some of the Christmas songs they play are “Run Run Rudolph” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” according to Mr. Bergmueller. He added they also play “Seven Nation Army” by White Stripes, “Sharp Dressed Man” by ZZ Top, “Hey Ya” by Outkast, “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang and “Reggae Jam” by Steel Pulse.

The band’s first performance will be on Dec. 20 during the holiday assembly. Mr. Bergmueller said the band practices after school in the choir room. He added that this is a great way to wrap up the school day.

“I love that I get to make music with some really cool and talented dudes. We have a great time jamming and making things up as we go,” said Ms. Williams.

“Sure, most bands have their difficulties, and this one is no exceptions. Like most, there are plenty of ambitions, egos and attitudes to keep in check. We eventually decided on a system of writing our ideas and concerns down: having a blind, simple majority vote that would then be verified with a third party,” said Mr. Cromley.

“I wish we had more time to get together, but our schedules are all pretty busy,” said Mr. Bergmueller. He added they might be open to adding a person or two on guitar, keyboards or vocals in the future. He added that for the time being, they want to keep the band simple due to the challenge of finding common practice time.