Nocturnal Paranoia, a band comprised of four Bay Area teenagers, connected through their love of rock music, from The Strokes to IDKHow. After separately performing and practicing music for years, the music teachers of members Logan Greenbaum (junior at M-A), Chloe Kummerer (sophomore at Mid-Peninsula High School), Sarah Tomlinson (senior at Woodside), and Alice Sauquet (M-A alum), brought them together on the cliche of a “girl band.”
“One thing we take pride in is the fact that everyone plays almost every instrument,” said Greenbaum. This versatility allows the band to be creative in their shows while having fun, with the musicians universally playing the bass and singing, as well as a couple of members on drums. “We like switching around a lot. We’re really into pushing each other out of our comfort zones and trying new things,” said Sauquet.
Through building confidence by playing in public and practicing with other motivated musicians, Nocturnal Paranoia has been bonded through the pressure of being on stage. “I think performing with the band has made me a lot more confident in myself,” said Tomlinson. Thus, after almost two years together, they’ve been able to see drastic improvements in each of their playing. “Our music teacher literally said to me once, ‘When I first met you, you couldn’t play drums,’” Greenbaum recalled, laughing.
“Throughout the past year and a half we’ve been playing together, they’ve just become absolutely incredible,” Sauquet said of Greenbaum, continuing, “That’s because of the dedication that we have to this band. If you’re lagging behind, you’re going to bring everyone down, so it really pushes everyone to be better.”
Nocturnal Paranoia practices for at least four hours every week, finding time in their busy schedules to prepare for gigs. “Saturdays are for the band,” Sauquet joked. They have also narrowly avoided noise complaints despite rehearsing their rowdy rock music out of a neighborhood garage due to their early morning (10 a.m.) practices.
Nocturnal Paranoia is also beginning to focus on crafting original music, drawing inspiration from the alternative and rock/indie bands that brought them together in the first place. While Sauquet typically writes the first chords and lyrics, the entire band works with the material until they have a more thorough idea. “It’s a lot of playing around,” she said. “We try to stitch it together to make it all work out.”
The band plays at Cafe Zoë and Freewheel Brewing Company, but they each have plans for incorporating music into their lives in the future. “I try to surround myself with music in many different ways. I play in bands, but I also do as many other music-related things as possible because it’s my favorite thing,” said Kummerer. Tomlinson agreed, saying, “There’s a special kind of bond that you form with people that you’re on stage with. It’s a very unique experience.” Greenbaum added, “I’ve met so many wonderful people through music. It’s been incredible.”
