MEET B.A.’S SEC 5 RHYTHM SECTION

They are: Mylissa Koeppe, our version of the ultimate power drummer; Mr.Bass himself; Kevin Earle, who also is a trombonist; and keyboardist par extraordinaire, the legendary Taylor Scott Covey, who also plays drums and some guitar, and are three of the “coolest cats” one could ever meet in any big city high school, so we recently had a chat in the music room with them, as they get ready for their last end of year concert coming up soon and were a delight to interview.

They didn’t have music in elementary, so what got them interested in music and what were their influences. For Mylissa, it was at home. “ Music at my house, I was playing what my mom listened to and my sister was in a music program playing sax, and I was also in the school choir too, says Mylissa.

“My dad was a musician, so I grew up with it, and my brother too, my aunt was a singer who has a lot of CD’s, my family is like all musicians,” continued Taylor. For Kevin, he got interested at BA. “ In grade 7 , we all had music and started playing trombone, and in grade 8 I took over from our bass player and I took over seeing an opportunity to play,” mentioned Kevin. Thus, this rhythm section was born.

Their musical influences are varied, but the Beatles are common to them. Mylissa also liked Pink Floyd and Zappa, and would you believe Louis Armstrong when she was younger in her house, Taylor just mentioned the Fab Four, and what got Kevin into bass was Metallica when he was into a heavy metal phase which brought a chuckle to Mylissa who says it’s a phase for everybody.

Taylor showed a sweet sentimental side when I asked about a favorite memory and it seemed special to him. “ Actually Mylissa taught me my first drum beat in Grade 7, and also I used to go to her house when I was in LaSalle and jam in her basement after going for a walk.” Mylissa was kind of simple and said that learning music and drums independently has been special. For Kevin it was during the last Xmas concert, “When I did the harmonizing thing on bass with Mark Minna, which was something that gave me a new view on music, when he would play and I played a melody over it, which is unusual.”

Leading vocalist and fellow classmate Susan Young who has played and jammed with them all these years says, “I will never forget their keen enthusiasm as it's very hard to find such talented musicians so eager to keep getting better.”

Music teacher Gary Lindner reminisces, “As a rhythm section, they came from such disparate areas of life and music, I saw them grow and get closer and closer, and they were on different parts of the map when I first met them and the music program made them grow closer musically and intellectually.”

For Mylissa, Taylor, and Kevin, it will be a bittersweet moment when they step on the BA stage for a last time at the June 2nd concert with their fellow students. For those of you who will be there, you will be entertained by great music and you will just the love this year’s theme for the senior band, and not being there, you will miss out on treating yourself to some great musical talents and an evening of musical bliss. It has been a joy to watch them play all these years and we thank them for the memories! Let It Be!