Or something like that.
Hoyle, Harmon and friends Rosemary Deck and Jeff Sullivan, actually make a more subdued transition when they team up to form “Ginger Grae,” a band that has been playing local venues for the past year. All have strong HSU connections: Holye is a physics professor, Harmon is a chemistry professor, Sullivan, a former Theater Arts student now working for the National Park Service, and Deck, a non-traditional student seeking a degree in Politics.
“We don’t really discuss our music with our students,” Hoyle said. “I always thought it would be fun to play at lunch in front of the Depot, but we would lose some of our anonymity.”
“When we play a gig, we have to pretend we’re not professors,” Harmon added.
The secret isn’t well hidden. While performing mostly original material at Blondie’s Food and Drink on a recent Friday night, shouts of “Professor Hoyle” and “science rules” came from the crowd between songs.
Categorizing the band in a specific genre has proven challenging. Deck was formerly a member of an all-woman reggae band, Sullivan played mostly punk music, and both Harmon and Hoyle were rockers.
“We’ve been described as kind of a combination of The White Stripes and Jefferson Airplane,” said Hoyle. “We play heavy music, but not particularly fast.”
While setting up for a performance, Deck was asked by a would-be customer about what kind of music the band played. “Loud,” she responded with a chuckle, then continued her microphone tests.
They could be called a “Hair Band,” but not in the traditional sense associated with ‘80s era performers. Hair color is actually the inspiration behind the group’s name. Chris, C.D. and Rosie are all redheads, and Sullivan’s more mature look accounts for the intentionally misspelled “Grae.”
Deck provides vocals and also plays the guitar, backed by Sullivan on drums. Hoyle plays bass and Harmon, who writes most of the music, plays lead guitar.
The band’s origins date back to shortly after Harmon’s arrival at HSU in 2011. He and his wife, Caroline, became friends with C.D. and his wife, Catherine. They discovered a common interest in playing music, and would occasionally get together for an evening of jamming.
“We discovered we both played guitar, so we’d strum together and have a few beers,” Harmon said. “When we met Jeff and Rosie, we decided to see how we would all sound together.”
In the true sense of the description, the friends became a “garage band,” using Deck’s garage as their practice place. In an equally cliché development, the group was forced to seek new surroundings when neighbors complained about the loud sounds reverberating throughout the Eureka neighborhood.
“We were rehearsing and somebody called the cops,” Harmon said. “We’ve since relocated to an area where there is less chance of being a nuisance.”
The band’s first opportunity to showcase its talents was in February 2013. Monday night regulars for Blondie’s quiz night, Hoyle and company approached club owner Johanna Nagan about a possible appearance. She agreed.
“They asked me if they could jam. It was just random,” Nagan said. “I’m glad they could play for us. It’s great to be associated with anything to do with HSU. It’s the heartbeat of this community.”
Blondie’s and Ginger Grae both celebrated on February 28 this year. The date marked the store’s five-year anniversary and the one-year span since the band debuted. Making it a Humboldt State themed evening, Nagan also hosted a fund-raiser for the HSU cycling club.
Upcoming gigs are scheduled for March 8, at the Siren’s Song Tavern in Eureka, and April 26, at the Eureka Inn’s Palm Lounge.
In the meantime, Hoyle and Harmon will be back in the classroom and lab, dispensing harmony in the form of science.
“Playing in the band is a hobby and creative outlet,” Hoyle said. “I’ve been in bands before where we were just playing music together, but this is so much better because of the social aspect. We’re all good friends.”