From a simple exchange about Green Day t-shirts to playing together at School of Rock, senior Jake Linder, junior Matt Bolling, junior Garrett Krupens, and junior Jack Graman formed Aberdeen, a rock band with a desire to revive classic rock.

The boys shared connections with each other through school and various music lessons.

“Jake and Matt met at school. They had a class together, and on the first day, Matt wore a Green Day shirt. Jake noticed, and they became friends and started writing music together,” Krupens said. “Jake met Jack through School of Rock, and all three of them invited me to the band after hearing about my drumming skills.”

Linder and Bolling said they have always had a dream about starting a band and making music together.

“Everyone has their role in the band. I take on singing and writing most of the songs,” Linder said. “I normally write the song all the way through with Matt, and then have the other guys come in and tweak things.”

The band, located in Dallas, Texas, has been playing various venues throughout the area.

“We play around DFW and debuted with our album ‘Lamb,’” Bolling said. “We also have our single ‘Today’ out now.”

The boys each specialize in different aspects of the band, whether it is instrumentals or vocals.

“I was always interested in music but really sucked at singing,” Graman said. “Jake and Matt had the band established and were looking for a bass player and jumped at the opportunity.”

Aberdeen members jump off each other’s ideas for songwriting and often share creative breakthroughs in the production process.

“(Country Club Girl) was one of the few times where we’ve ever collaborated on a song that was similar to how we imagined it happening,” Bolling said. “At times, it never goes that smooth and easy because it is a process that will have you changing things over and over again. But, this time, it was like things were flying out of each other’s heads that were so good. We were getting excited with everything we thought of, and our creative juices were just pouring. There’s no other explanation for it.”

Currently, their top track “The Impulse Theory” has more than 400,000 streams, and the band has 35,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Their current album, “Lamb,” released July 18.

“We, as a band, hate when people try to fit in or try to get others to fit into the status quo of what is trendy,”  Bolling said. “People don’t realize how silly they sound when they act like sheep, hence our album name ‘Lamb.’ It’s a dumb way to live and doesn’t make you any happier or better.”

Aberdeen offers multiple inspirations in the music, such as My Chemical Romance, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. Their band name idea sparked from lead guitarist and songwriter of Nirvana Kurt Cobain’s birthplace.

“Jake saw that (Aberdeen) also happened to be a reference to Kurt Cobain’s birthplace, who is a big inspiration for him and us,” Graman said. “So, when we made that connection, it just stuck.”

The band is on a mission to bring classic rock ‘n’ roll back to its former glory.

“We all have a love of rock music, and I personally believe it’s the most powerful form of music out there,” Linder said. “Keeping rock’s flame burning is my passion, and I can speak for everyone in the band that helping people heal and thrive through rock is why we do it.”

Aberdeen members constantly share gratitude for their supporters and wish the best for their group as a whole.

“We are so thankful for everything that has been given to us and everybody who has stuck by us,” Krupens said. “We have had some ups and downs, but we are pushing and not stopping for anything.”

This story was originally published on Eagle Nation Online on January 11, 2021.