UCLA math professor Joseph Teran doubles as a member of the indie pop band Sweater Girls
By Arit John
June 26, 2011 9:58 p.m.
When UCLA math professor Joseph Teran is not teaching graduate courses, he is practicing and touring with five-piece indie pop band Sweater Girls. Teran founded the band in 2009 with the band’s drummer and singer, and all of the members have been balancing music with their full-time jobs ever since.
“I don’t think it’s weird at all. I like math, and I like indie pop,” Teran said. “If you’re in an indie pop band, you’re not making a living. Almost every indie pop band (member) I know has a normal job.”
The term “sweater girls” refers to the fashion trend popular among women during the ’40s and ’50s of tight sweaters worn to emphasize the bust line. Sweater Girls, however, came across the name after another band turned the name down.
“L Records, a label (Teran and I) both listen to, suggested the name to another band and they hated it,” said Jackie Hundza, a women’s studies alumna and the band’s drummer.
The songs Sweater Girls write range from fun and silly pieces such as “Do the Sweater” to songs on themes such as being misunderstood and being socially awkward. The band focuses on creating the kind of music they enjoy.
“We’re not going into (indie pop) to make it big,” Hundza said. “It has nothing to do with making music for other people’s interest.”
Indie pop is often characterized by the use of jangling guitars and light, upbeat rhythms. According to Hundza, however, the best way to get a grasp of what the musical style entails is to hear it.
“There’s a sweetness to indie pop. You never hear about violence … there’s a whole aesthetic that goes along with it,” Hundza said. “There’s a simplicity to it, but there’s also a complexity to it.”
According to Hundza, the complexity stems from the contrast between the easy, melodic flow of the songs and the more technical skill required by the instrumentation, as well as the hidden thematic darkness of some of the music.
Within the math department, Teran’s musical involvement is not well known. Babette Dalton, the math department administrative specialist, said she did not think any of the professors had such unexpected hobbies, nor did she know about the band.
Teran’s interest in music began when he was 14, when he started to listening to music groups such as The Smiths and later, Morrissey. While a student at UC Davis, he managed a college radio station and later began DJing at indie pop nights at different clubs. It was there that he began making the connections within the scene.
“After buying the records for so many years, you just want to see if you can make the music yourself,” Teran said.
Hundza said she knows two different Terans. One is the Teran who teaches graduate courses such as Applied Numerical Linear Algebra or Numerical Methods for Elliptical Interface and the other is the Teran who developed a taste for pop music as a teen.
“The music came before the math for him,” Hundza said. “I think when he was in middle and high school he developed a taste in music that was different than what other people were listening to.”
Sweater Girls plans on releasing a full-length album in the fall and is in the process of putting songs together. They will also be performing at The Smell on Sunday.
Until now, math and music have been mutually exclusive worlds for Teran. If awareness of his musical pursuits were to spread, he would be open to discussing his music with his students and co-workers.
“I’m totally willing (to talk about the band), it just doesn’t come up that often. I’d be happy to talk about it,” Teran said.
