The Sinister Turns

Susan, who had performed her original mellow piano pop solo through highschool, entered Harvard University in 2004 and in preparation for an upcoming show in April 2005 sent out an e-mailed plea for fellow musicians. A delightful contingent replied: Peter Ekman, a friend from high school and a fiend on the drums; Sophie Besl, a fellow lover of Josie and the Pussycats and a shy yet enthusiastic musician; Teddy Sherrill, a warm and spastic fencer and lover of catchy melodies; and Ben Woodruff, laid back and skilled at the guitar. Although all were avid lovers of music and playing it, only Peter had been in a band for any significant amount of time. Susan dubbed the (then thought temporary) band �The Sinister Turns� because she had become enamored of Peter�s use of the idiom in a tale of his � �and this is where the story takes a sinister turn!� � and with Peter in the band, it was too perfect. Their first show at the Quincy Cage in Cambridge, MA, was energetic, if a little shaky, but their persistence translated into sheer enthusiasm. The band performed several of Susan�s originals including �Disappear,� as well as �Spin Around� from the aforementioned Josie movie. They were all tremendously happy with the performance, but with the summer drawing near and paths diverging, their future was unclear. By September, their drive for the group had not disappeared, and they started practicing regularly and actively seeking out shows. By the week of the first show in the semester, The Sinister Turns had been written up in the Harvard Crimson, and pictures from the set appeared in the paper for the rest of the semester. While Susan had arranged most of the songs for their first show in April, by December the whole group was participating, offering up riffs and ideas. Despite the group�s growing confidence, skill, and fan-base, Ben Woodruff decided it wasn�t the right fit for him and dropped out in January. Guitarist Amy Klein from Plan B for the Type As, whom Susan had been in a duo with for a coffeehouse that year and who had played with the band for a New Jersey show in December, eagerly joined. At this new addition, the band felt complete. Amy provided additional fun-loving, dedication, ideas, giggles, and encouragement. Practices, while serious in the fact that everyone respected and committed themselves to the songs, became a place to relieve tension, act on whims, and find commonality in the �adorable vulnerability� that engineer Jack Younger would recognize in them. The Sinister Turns would be joined by a variety of like-minded guests throughout their performances, most regularly keyboardist and vocalist Erin Arai, as well as guitarist Patrick Stickles. By the spring of 2006, the band was eager to break out of the Harvard bubble � but had nothing but scratchy live recordings to go on to show clubs. Not to be disheartened, they turned to Basement 247 Studios, where Amy�s other band had recorded a demo. The recording experience � working on Susan�s �Disappear,� �I Support Women in Science,� �Anatomy Assessment,� �The Last Time,� and �Zolpidem� � proved the final glue to make The Sinister Turns into the tight-knit group that they now are. As the first recording session for many of them, the umpteenth for others, the blend of naivetie and knowledge led them to intricacies in performances and arrangements that they could not have done otherwise. Recently, they have released the EP "Turn to the Left," moved on to the second round of the Emergenza Festival, and won the Harvard-Yale Battle of the Bands.

The Sinister Turns are now affiliated with Antenna Alliance (www.antalliance.org)