Turtle Buddy: New cd tells “hero” story

Casey Crough
Staff Reporter

You may have seen them walking the campus, accompanied by an interesting mix of musical instruments. Or maybe you have seen them at a campus event or a local coffee shop. Whatever the case, their musical creativity is infectious. Turtle Buddy has now taken its sound from the coffee shop straight to their first CD, “Bright, Bright Moon.” The group describes itself as pop/folk rock, indie, experimental, progressive and fusion.

The CD is a journey, and somewhat of a ‘hero’ story. “We intended for fans to listen to the CD start to finish, so that they could get the all around story,” said band member Eric Welkos ,’10. Welkos is one of six band
members that comprise Turtle Buddy.

The band members include: Greg Adams, ’08, who plays piano, melodica, and keyboard, Keith Adams, ’10 who plays guitar, Henry Amankwah, ’10 who is the lead singer, Tyler Buisch, ’10 who plays drums and percussion, Sunita Pathik, ’11, who plays violin, and Welkos, ’10 who specializes in sitar and guitar.

Tyler and Greg could not be present for the interview since “they’re playing a gig with an 81-year-old,” Keith explained.

This group of musicians and friends first started jamming last year, and played around with ideas for songs and musical progression.

The group acquired their interesting name from the pianist, Greg Adams. The band agreed since they were writing and playing together that they needed an official name. One night at Englar Dining Hall, Greg suggested the name “Turtle Buddy,” and the name stuck.

Two exceptionally interesting songs are the title track “Bright Bright, Moon” and “Take It Away.” “Bright Bright Moon” is an introduction to the album; it marks the beginning of a conceptual, progressive story. The song begins with melodic sitar and guitar, then unfurls into music that is upbeat yet soothing with Henry’s smooth vocal delivery and thoughtful lyrics. “Take It Away,” a beautiful lullaby, conveys the passion and talent of the band. Turtle Buddy feels that their CD has something for everyone, from the acoustic sounds of “Take It Away” to the progressive style of other songs such as “Cartaxo” and “When It Rains, It Pours”.

Turtle Buddy released its first CD on July 29, 2008. “Released to us means we received the CD’s in the mail,” Keith said. The entire CD is student produced and designed, including the artwork of Kathryn Harlow.

“Bright, Bright, Moon” is available at the College Bookstore for the cash price of $10. Group members are still writing and experimenting with different musical sounds and ideas for future CDs.

If you are interested in listening to some of their music, you can check out their myspace page at myspace.com/turtlebuddysongs; there you can download “Bright, Bright Moon” as well as “Take It Away.”