The Bands Shaping Eugene’s Sound: A Sit-Down With Verb8im and Moonbear
Photographed by Isabella Thomas
Designed by Elsie Ferber and Bella Snyder
Spring Term is upon us! This means the house show scene is on the rise, and some of Eugene’s greatest are gearing up for a season full of performances. If you have ever been to a house show here in Eugene, or maybe even just to Fathoms on a Thursday night, you may have heard of the bands Verb8im and Moonbear. Both bands have humble origins starting from something small, to making a name for themselves here in Oregon, each band has something unique to them that draws listeners into their various performances both near and far.
VERB8IM
Verb8im consists of members Aidan, Tripp, Will, and Lucas. I interviewed the boys after their Corvallis show at Bombs Away Cafe in January where the music is loud and the vibes are high. This performance was a full-circle moment for Aidan and Lucas, as they played together in a band in high school. To go from small shows in their garage with maybe ten people in attendance to booking a venue like this is quite exhilarating. Knowing where Verb8im started, and where they are now, I wanted to get more into the nitty-gritty of who they are beyond the instruments. To start, I wanted to ask what any up-and-coming musician gets asked; what's the dream collaboration? I got a variety of answers from these guys ranging from Green Day, The Police, or even Radiohead. Tripp even made a joke saying “You know what else would be crazy dude? Verb8im, x the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.” Now, while they may not be making it to Nashville quite yet, the band is opening for Still Woozy on May 16th at the Cuthbert Amphitheater which is a fantastic opportunity and maybe even a step closer to performing alongside their lifelong idols. I also wanted to get into some of the special talents held by these boys. Other than being able to pound on drums with “wet sticks” as Tripp put it, what else do they have up their sleeve? “Me and Lucas are big snow sports people,” said Aidan. “I would say we're pretty decent on the slopes.” Will says that he enjoys cooking a nice risotto, while the rest of the band joked that he was insanely flexible, and if you want to see a Pyramid Rubik's Cube solved, look no further than to Tripp.
MOONBEAR
Moonbear is a good representation of a group of guys all being in the right place at the right time. Members Sebastian, George, Lauden, and Shun, came together through their passion for music and have been making their lasting impact on the music scene here in Eugene ever since. They have played at various venues such as WOW Hall, Blairally, The Spot, and many others. The four guys of Moonbear work so well together as they all come in with different perspectives when it comes to how to approach their music. Upon asking them about some of their favorite bands, Shun shared that he is from Japan and would love to collaborate with some Japanese bands or artists in the future, as he gets much of his inspiration both in the music and in his fashion from these artists. Funnily enough, later in the interview, the rest of the guys did in fact vote Shun best dressed in the band. When asking the guys who would be most likely to forget their instrument before a show, I got an interesting story from Sebastian about how he lost his Pedalboard. “I’ll tell the story. My van works in a really weird way, where, if you lock the door, it opens the window. This is like my first two weeks of having this van. I was driving. I got back to my apartment at the time, I looked and my pedals weren't there. And I was like, I wonder what happened. So it might have been stolen too.” Easy to say, the guys voted Sebastian most likely for this question.
So if you and your friends are looking for something to do in the spring, want to have a good laugh, and listen to some great music, check out your local venue or house show, and chances are you will run into one of these eight guys. Last year, Verb8im’s first album “Ask Again Later” was released, along with Moonbear releasing a handful of singles. You can keep up with their upcoming performances on their socials, and listen to their songs on most streaming platforms.