The Psykes, a band formed by UCLA students, to take the stage at Westwood Live

Before forming their band The Psykes, Nathan Kersey-Wilson, Eric Cappello and Nivedan Nayak were simply residents in Dykstra Hall with little knowledge of one another.

Nayak, a third-year communication studies student, said he remembered the days when Kersey-Wilson, a third-year jazz performance student, and Cappello, a third-year music composition student, lived on the floor above his.

According to bassist Kersey-Wilson, these three musicians first got to work together while filming a music video for resTV.

“It started with me and Eric just jamming on guitars in the hallway, and then we said, “˜Let’s make this into a band,'” he said.

Tonight the group will take the stage as part of Westwood Live’s artist lineup. Westwood Live, a local event which brings together music, art, theater, dancing and dining, will feature multiple performances from UCLA acts including DJ Harper, Courtney Randall and Bruin Harmony. This event will eventually continue in monthly installments throughout the year.

According to Cappello and Nayak, the band members were flattered to be asked to perform in Westwood Live and are excited for their music to receive exposure.

“We were approached by my friends from USAC General Representative that are putting Westwood Live together. We’ve played several shows around UCLA in the past year, so our name’s been getting around, and people organizing events know that we love to take every opportunity to play,” Nayak said.

Cappello also said that while he writes most of the lyrics, all of the band members take part in the creation of each song.

“We definitely have a nice chemistry, personality-wise,” he said. “I write the songs and then we adjust them here and there when we play them all together.”

According to Nayak, the band works mostly with songs that it has developed over the past couple of years, including tracks that have since been featured on UCLAradio.com.

“We have some acoustic records, one of which was recorded, and that is what we use to show to the people. We also have recordings of our recent Kerckhoff show and other performances,” Nayak said.

In terms of plans for the future, Cappello said that his bandmates hope to record more of the songs that they are currently working on.

He said that while they are not looking to sign with a major record label, the band wants to develop a distinctive sound.

“We have plans to record at least one song in the coming weeks. It is something we are looking towards, and (maybe) making an EP,” Cappello said.

Since its first acoustic coffee house performance, The Psykes has grown from a musical trio that played in residence halls to a well-known band on campus, according to Kersey-Wilson.

“In a lot of ways we have become one of the signature bands at UCLA, and we get asked to play at apartments, fundraisers and events like Westwood Live,” he said. “We also want to go beyond that, and our focus right now is getting to record more of our music.”