Student band No Insurance sure to rock
The UCLA student band No Insurance will perform at the Key Club on Saturday, blending hip-hop and punk styles. Several members of the band have been Spring Sing winners in the past, including in 2010.
By Garisma Kadakia
May 20, 2010 9:08 p.m.
No Insurance, a UCLA student-run band, was formed by students who shared a passion for good music. With that zealous attitude, the band started gaining popularity and became the stabilized band that it is known as today.
Full of vigor and zest, band members said that they hope to have an energized and rocking audience on Saturday at the Key Club, where they will be performing their latest show. The band is expecting the show to be a massive hit and is hoping to play to a sold-out venue where herds of people will be trickling in for a show and a party.
“(It will be) a good time with good music,” said Colin Gordon, a fourth-year music student.
According to Brandon Contreras, an alumnus who graduated with a degree in applied mathematics, there is an interesting story behind the name of the band.
“When we went to go buy better speakers, the price of insurance was too much, so for us it became symbolic of not turning back ever since and reaching for our goals,” Contreras said.
Apart from the interesting name of the band, even the type of music the band plays and is known for is quite distinct.
“Hip-hop to pop to punk, every song is very different,” said Adrian Choa, third-year English literature student, about the type of music their band usually focuses on.
What sets No Insurance apart from other bands is their style of music. “There are not too many bands who do punk-style music with rap ““ the closest one was Sum 41, and even then, it is still not the same,” said Jordan Calhoun, a fourth-year sociology student.
The whole band consists of members from an undergraduate freshman to an alumnus, each member bringing his own set of musical talents and experiences. Kabir Nigam, a first-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, is the band’s rhythm guitarist who recently won the top honors at Spring Sing in the duet category.
“There is a certain hype of seeing everyone out there into your music and having a good time,” Nigam said.
Nigam is not the only Spring Sing participant in the band ““ fourth-year architecture student Max Wong, Contreras and Calhoun have all played there in the past as well. No Insurance members pride themselves on surrounding themselves with the award-winning musicians and talents UCLA has to offer.
“We are comfortable expressing our own ideas,” Wong said about his experience working with the rest of his mates.
Apart from having a good work ethic, the band is dedicated to making sure every member’s inputs are considered.
“There is no serious tension between us ““ we have fun, and there is good dynamics amongst us,” Choa said.
The team effort is intact, the music is set and No Insurance is ready for this Saturday’s event.
“Our shows are like parties with people singing along and having this rockstar-like feeling,” Calhoun said.
