Inside LC Music

By Maddie Ticknor /// Arts Editor

If you’ve been to the Rusty Nail’s Open Mic Nights anytime throughout the last two years, you probably know about Palatine Killa Squad. The LC band started out as more of a “musical co-op,” flowing with different musicians in the Lewis & Clark community. As time passed, the band solidified and is now made up of three definitive members: Scott Berger, Jeremy Ballen, and Walker Kelly. Here’s what they had to say:

PIOLOG: How did you all meet?

JB: We were all on the same New Student Trip.

PIOLOG: How did the band start?

WK: Charlie Rhodes wanted us to beatbox and rap together at the first open mic.

PIOLOG: How did you come up with the name Palatine Killa Squad?

WK: It wasn’t me….

SB: We had to think of a name when we were signing up for open mic. I think it has to do with the fact that we live on Palatine Hill.

JB: It was very spur of the moment.

PIOLOG: Who are your biggest influences?

WK: Led Zeppelin.

SB: Grateful Dead.

PIOLOG: What qualities do you try to embody in your performances?

WK: I always say — hands down — it’s rhythm. Rhythm goes a lot farther than the drummer in a band.

SB: I just like to get up and have a real good time. That’s what it’s all about.

WK: Safety first, then teamwork.

PIOLOG: What should an audience member expect from a performance?

WK: One or two wacky antics and then some tasty jams.

SB: Anything and everything.

JB: To be offended.

PIOLOG: If the band as a whole had a spirit animal, what would it be?

WK: This is a serious question. We gotta brainstorm. Maybe a rasta-lion?

SB: Maybe like a rasta-whale.

WK: *Makes whale noises * And upon reaching the surface, smoke comes out of the blowhole…big ‘ole underwater doobie.

JB: Yeah and it swims exclusively in oceans of beer.

PIOLOG: What do you expect from your audience members?

SB: Some ears, and some funky dance moves. Just be chillin’ and enjoying. Maybe get the f*** out if you’re not… maybe not, you can still stick around.

PIOLOG: Does Palatine Killa Squad have a motto?

WK: Probably. It might be something unspoken.

SB: Burn down Bob Dylan.

PIOLOG: Do you say anything in particular before every show?

WK: I probably say f*** twenty times before every show, that could be our motto.

JB: “Goddammit, Scott.”

PIOLOG: Anything you want to say to LC students?

SB: Thanks for your support on our sonic endeavors.

JB: I better not.

PIOLOG: What’s next for Palatine Killa Squad?

WK: The next open mic.

JB: More tunes!

If you have a band composed of LC Students, you could be featured in the next issue of the PIOLOG. Contact mticknor@lclark.edu