Killa Gorilla
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Killa Gorilla

San Luis Obispo, California, United States

San Luis Obispo, California, United States
Band Alternative Funk

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"Spencer Wood Benefit Show"

Lambda Chi Alpha will host a concert at Downtown Brewing Company this Saturday featuring San Diego-based reggae rock group One Drop and Cal Poly’s Killa Gorilla. The event will benefit the Spencer Wood Memorial Scholarship Foundation and honor the life of Spencer Wood, a Cal Poly student and Lambda Chi Alpha member, who died in the summer of 2006.

After his death, friends and family wanted to remember him in a way that celebrated his life. A lover of music and the arts, Wood was a frequent concert-goer, musician and writer. This will be the third year the benefit concert has taken place.

The foundation was established by Wood’s father, Rich Wood, whowill award three scholarships: one to a member of Lambda Chi Alpha and two to exceptional history graduate students who have completed their master’s degrees. All sales from the show help fund the scholarships.

Wood’s close friend and alumni Sameer Pangrekar, who came up for the idea of the concert, said it was an appropriate way to remember Wood.

“He loved music. He and a lot of Lambda Chi guys would go to concerts all the time,” Pangrekar said.

Music was a common topic of conversation for Wood; alumnas and close friend Sarah Leilani Arceo first met Wood because of an argument over Led Zeppelin, and the two soon became inseparable. As a fellow concert-goer, she recalls how much live music meant to him.

“It didn’t matter who was playing. He just loved being around music,” Arceo said. “Concerts and music are something that represents Spencer. To be able to go to a concert and think of him is just really important.”

Finding the headliner for this year’s show was not too tough a task. Korie Newman, the booking and venue coordinator for Downtown Brew, knew that Spencer was a fan of reggae bands such as Slightly Stoopid and Pepper. Working with this year’s coordinators — Cal Poly alumni Mark Hudson and graphic communication senior Bryan Jorgenson — the team was able to choose One Drop as the main act.

“I worked with One Drop at the West Beach Music Festival last year, and I know the audience really enjoyed their show, and backstage, the guys were a pleasure to work with, a very nice and hardworking band in the business,” Newman said.

Since jumping into the music scene in 2006, One Drop has become a nationally touring band and has released an EP and full-length album, “Mission Blvd.” Pulling influences from The Police and Steel Pulse, the band creates a unity of smooth melodies and reggae-rock. Lead guitarist Bart Neglia is excited to get the audience off their feet and onto the dance floor.

“We want them to share the melody and have a common bond with each other,” Neglia said.

Neglia said their music is easily relatable because of their lyrics that touch on social hardships and relationships among other day-to-day subjects.

“We got into the music business to help people out. It can always kind of sooth the hurt and hardships that people go through,” Neglia said.

Also playing will be Killa Gorilla, an alternative rock band. Since meeting in the Sierra Madre dorms in 2007 and forming in 2008, the four-piece group has been slowly growing, playing shows and fundraisers such as Relay for Life. Bass player and co-lead singer Brett Pirtle, a business junior, said he is honored to be playing at the benefit show.

“It’s pretty exciting that they trust us and chose us for this,” Pirtle said. “It does feel good for it to be meaningful rather than just for our own enjoyment.”

Every year during the show, the recipient of the Spencer Wood Lambda Chi Alpha scholarship is announced. The scholarship is awarded to an anonymously nominated member of the fraternity who lives his life by their gentleman’s code of conduct, which is based on humbleness, honesty, kindness and selflessness. Spencer’s family, close friends and selected members of the fraternity are on the board that decides on the winner.

“What’s really wonderful about this process is that this fraternity not only honors Spencer, but honors each other. Teaching these guys how to be true men — that’s not taught very many places today,” Richard Wood said.

Hudson and Jorgenson said their work in organizing will help the benefit show succeed in future years.

“It’s something we care about. Whatever efforts we can put into it now will hopefully rub off on the other guys in the house and they’ll want to continue the concert and share in everything that Spencer meant to us,” Jorgenson said.

Hudson said he is excited to gather the community together for simply a great night out.

“Good music, good people and a good cause. That’s what it’s gonna be,” Hudson said.

The all-ages show starts at 7:30 p.m. with opening act Purple Melon. Pre-sale tickets are on sale for $10 at Boo Boo Records or ticketweb.com. Tickets can also be purchased for $12 at the door. - Mustang Daily


"Killa Gorilla to headline first Concert in the Plaza Thursday following construction renovations"

Killa Gorilla, Cal Poly’s own “Jam-dance” band, will be the first musicians to perform at the University Union Plaza since it was closed last year for renovations.

“One of our primary goals for the year is to play a successful show at the UU,” said Nick Northrop, the band’s drummer. “We’re very excited to have this at our fingertips.”

The up-and-coming four-piece band, Killa Gorilla, consists entirely of Cal Poly juniors who originally met in the dorms in fall of 2007. Lead guitarist and vocalist, Rory Bloch, and bassist and vocalist, Brett Pirtle, were roommates in the Sierra Madre dorms, and had been playing music together since high school. They soon met architecture freshman Northrop, and began to collaborate on a three-piece band.

Toward the end of their freshman year the three friends were playing ping-pong in the common area of the Sierra Madre dorms, when they encountered classically trained pianist and fellow freshman Elliott Ripley. In the midst of a rowdy game of ping-pong, Bloch, Pirtle and Northrop, overheard Ripley playing piano for some girls and yelled across the room, “Play ‘Free Bird!’”

Seconds later, Ripley was masterfully playing “Free Bird.” “Solo and all,” Northrop said. “We thought immediately that he could complete our band.”

Ripley, an environmental engineering junior and music minor, actually came to Cal Poly to wrestle. After a season and a half of wrestling, it become too much to juggle with music and school, and he realized music was his priority. He began to play music with Northrop, Bloch and Pirtle, and they formed Killa Gorilla in the spring of 2008.

The band name, they said, comes from nothing in particular.

“Killa Gorilla is catchy, fun and easy to remember,” Ripley said. “It provides a good platform for band graphics and is fun to weave into our song lyrics.”

They began playing at house parties and open-mic nights around town, and built a foundation of a growing group of loyal fans.

Last year, Killa Gorilla came out with an independently-produced five song EP entitled “African LA View.” As their popularity continues to grow, they have recently been landing paid gigs at notable local venues like Downtown Brewing Co., Mr. Rick’s and Mongo’s Saloon.

The members of Killa Gorilla have a variety of musical backgrounds and inspirations, which adds to the dynamic nature of the band today.

“We’re a weird mix of guys,” Bloch said.

Pirtle, a business administration junior, transitioned musically from trumpet, to tuba, to drums, before learning bass in the dorms to fill the role for Killa Gorilla. On the other hand, Ripley is a classically-trained pianist who now pushes the keyboard to its rock ‘n’ roll limits. Northrop’s clean drumming style is influenced by Blink 182, but he also contributes notable freestyle vocal skills to the band. Bloch, a statistics junior, has a front man style that is strongly influenced by the funk days of The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

As an entity, Killa Gorilla now combines a variety of musical genres to form their own unique sound of alternative hard rock, and old school funk — what they call “jam-dance.”

Mechanical engineering junior Kris Lewis or “Otter” has been a dedicated fan of Killa Gorilla since the beginning.

“Their music is fast, original, energetic and full of life,” Lewis said. “They can get the crowd a little rowdy, but they also have a great sense of humor. As a rock band, these guys definitely have it.”

Though the legacy of Killa Gorilla is just a few years old, it appears they have already established something special.

The content of their songs varies, but generally deals with typical issues college students face, such as stress, habits and inner turmoil. Killa Gorilla seeks to make music that appeals to their peers.

“We are trying to capture a piece of college culture,” Ripley said. “Our music is a good taste of our lives.”

Their song “Jeffrey” is a comical narrative about a wing-man. “The Tree,” on the other hand, is a more serious song about fighting with yourself, and the inner battles that are often part of college life.

The band plays primarily original songs but mixes in the occasional cover song with some Killa Gorilla touch. Some of their favorite songs to cover include “Fell in Love With a Girl” by The White Stripes, Radiohead’s “Just” and “The Distance” by Cake.

Killa Gorilla hopes to continue to build its fan base and take their band as far as they can go.

“When we play we want our audience to forget the bullshit of the world for a few hours, and just groove and have a good time,” Northrop said.

They plan to release a second, longer EP some time this summer. The concert will take place in the Plaza at 11 a.m. Thursay. - Mustang Daily


Discography

African La View EP- 2010

Photos

Bio

Formed in 2008 in San Luis Obispo, California, Killa Gorilla is not your typical college band. While formally they may be considered alternative rock, KG mixes funk, progressive, and reggae influences and techniques to create a sound all their own. An eclectic list of influential bands range from the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cake to Del Tha Funkee Homo Sapien to The Expendables. The four members have quickly garnered attention in the SLO area due to a unique sound, high energy live performances, and a dedicated group of fans, lovingly referred to as The Blackouts.

After releasing their debut demo, African La View EP, Killa Gorilla plans to continue playing club shows and parties in the San Luis Obispo area while looking to reach fans across the country.