USG announced that The Commas will be the opening act at Back to the Brook, the largest musical event of the semester. Here is a look at the student band that will perform on the same stage as Fetty Wap and RL Grime.
The band consists of four members: Jonathan Bellon, senior mechanical engineering major and lead guitarist/backup vocals; Michael Burns, senior mechanical engineering major and lead singer/backup guitarist; Joshua Cehulic, senior political science major and bass player; and Dylan Schreiber, senior civil engineering major and drummer.
The group had performed at Roth Regatta, the Toscanini Ball and Tabler Twist, but this will definitely be their most anticipated gig.
“When I met with USG representatives to discuss us being the potential opening band I didn’t expect them to decide right then and there, so when they were giving us the gig I had to try so hard not to start cheering,” Schreiber said. “I’m so pumped since we’ve really been working hard towards this and hoping for it for a while now, so it just feels great.”
The band has come a long way since their humble beginnings in Tabler Quad. They were four freshmen with a passion for music, some musical skills and a desire to create a rock band. They put them all together and created The Commas.
“What began as a small, fun thing evolved into a more coherent cover band,” Bellon said. “We played a couple of open mic nights and grew as a musical group.”
Although the group does not stick to a specific genre of music, they get inspiration from their favorite artists. The White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Arctic Monkeys inspire Bellon, the band’s songwriter.
“We are still in the process of finding our sound, but we take major influences from some of our favorite bands in the modern rock and indie scene,” Bellon said.
The Commas has spent many hours preparing for Back to the Brook, after being told that it will be the student opener.
“We have been practicing almost every day since moving back into West Apartments this semester, tightening our finished songs and working on new ones so they’ll be finished in time for the concert,” Bellon said.
The band is currently making an album that is set to be released within the next few weeks. As part of the album, they invite all Stony Brook students to submit artwork for the cover through their Facebook page.
