By day, they’re in your classes, drumming desk tables with a pencil — only an inkling of their musical prowess. By night, they’re teens ready to share their music with the world, guitarist-drummer-singer of Me and the Birds junior Quinton Vo said.
Vo, guitarist junior Zach Nunag, and bassist junior Annabelle Chao debuted on Jan. 28 at the MHS Lunar Show, performing a cover of Mac Demarco’s “Moonlight on the River” and an original song written by Nunag.
“The only way we can say we played a gig is if we do it, no matter how scared it makes us,” Nunag added. “There are so many talented people at our school, and I feel like they owe it to themselves to share their art. ”
Just as the Beatles had Liverpool, the Me and the Birds debut at the Lunar Show was the band’s beginning, Chao said.
“I think about the show every day, just the validation and how grateful we were,” Vo said. “We were freaking out, but bonding over that, like, ‘You were scared? I was scared!’”
The band also met senior Mimi Huynh through her vocal act at the show, Chao said.
“We bonded over music and creating our own,” Huynh said. “Even if I’m not doing anything, I’m content watching these guys play.”
Huynh is no longer performing with the band as she leaves for college, but she will always remember the trio’s passion for music, Huynh said.
“Me and Zach were in middle school, bonding over music and thinking we could be musicians, but we sucked,” Vo said. “Then we were in the same math class sophomore year and I was working two jobs, but, after I quit, we just picked up where we left off.”
Junior Annabelle Chao, the band’s bassist, joined the band when she heard they were practicing for the Lunar Show. Classically trained in piano and trumpet and a close friend to Vo, Chao brought music theory and energy to the self-taught band, Vo said.
“I was looking to play bass more because it’s so different from piano,” Chao said. “The bass is just a foundation, so as long as I’m backing up those two, I’m just jamming out on stage as support. With them, it’s a lot more upbeat and fun.”
The trio has a variety of personal musical influences, from K-pop to the Goo Goo Dolls, but come together on the timeless hits of the Beatles and Mac Demarco, Nunag said.
“The name Me and the Birds is actually inspired by a Duster song,” Chao said. “We were just thinking about what we wanted our vibe to be, and I saw Zach’s guitar with these beautiful bird inlays and instantly connected it to the song.”
The ode to musical influences in the band’s name is fitting because the band is influenced by various artists, yet strive to keep their work authentic in their projects, Chao added.
“It’s important to keep the songwriting process natural,” Nunag said. “(For) our next song, we got the music down before the lyrics, and it reminded me of the beach, so the lyrics came from that feeling.”
The band hopes to release a collection of their demos over streaming services and a physical record soon, Chao said.
“We’re working on it,” Vo said. “Our goal isn’t to make an original; literally nothing is original these days. We want to make people who listen to our music feel something.”