Three floors up in Shay Hall, in a dorm room filled to the brim with music equipment and pop-culture memorabilia, three band members in t-shirts run through their set. This is Ratchet Salón, the self-styled indie band playing its first show at St. Bonaventure University.
Comprised of Bryce Murphy, a sophomore psychology major at Bonaventure; Alex Morgan and Tyler Knight, they’ve been releasing music since 2018. The band’s origins, however, go back even further.
“Alex and I met junior year of high school,’’ Murphy recalls. “I went to two different schools, and when I transferred, I met Alex…”
“He sat behind me in physics class, and I was a senior, and I really didn’t care anymore…” Morgan said, laughing. “Bryce was kind of, you know, looking for some way to rebel because he came from a Christian high school and all that.”
The two became fast friends, having jam sessions in each others’ houses and releasing their first two EPs, “We Do Songs.” and “Thanks, Sorry… Hi.” Morgan and Murphy were both guitarists, constantly on the lookout for new members to add depth to their sound. Two years into the band’s existence, Morgan met Knight, who’s now a staple part of the band.
“The drums on the next one are going to be way better,” Morgan joked. “You know, now that we have a drummer.”
Under the name of Ratchet Salón, the three have now performed several shows and even found success in merchandise sales. At their last performance, they managed to sell out their entire supply of branded t-shirts, an impressive feat considering the band is still in relative infancy.
For Murphy, however, it isn’t about merch or branding.
“[In high school] I was super into sports, and I had injuries and couldn’t do that anymore, so music became the main thing I was passionate about,” he said. “So now, I want to go somewhere with this. It’s not just a hobby. This is what I want to do.”
Throughout the interview, Knight has remained extremely quiet, deferring to his bandmates on the questions. But when the show later that night was mentioned, he broke out into a smile.
“Dude, I’m just really excited,” he exclaimed, and Murphy and Morgan nod emphatically. One can’t help but nod with them, as each member is visibly electrified in preparation to be on stage. Each performance may as well be their first, with the amount of joy it brings.
It’s 10:30 p.m. at the Rathskeller, and three t-shirt clad figures saunter up to the stage. The show, intended to start at 10 p.m., has been held back while the band-members mingle with the small crowd that has shown up, shooting pool and lamenting the struggles of Syracuse football.
Once they’re finished testing the mics, Murphy leans in, addressing his audience with the first of many common refrains: “So we’re like, a band, we do songs.” He pauses, then points out into the crowd. “Thanks for coming out.”
It’s a short set. The band goes through a few cuts from either EP, mixing in some well-known alternative covers for good measure. Ratchet Salón’s sound probably best fits into the category of indie-rock, with some punk flavor mixed in, and it’s amplified by the energy each member brings on stage, speedy riffs and flows matching the neon lights overhead. The band pays constant attention to its audience, ad-libbing, finger waving and talking with the crowd in between tracks. Each song is followed by Murphy’s “And… that was a song,” as well as some comedic banter between himself and Morgan, with occasional crowd shoutouts added in.
The crowd begins to disperse before the end of the set, but Ratchet Salón’s members are unfazed, and carry the same energy they have from the start. They close with a single from their most recent release, “Bitter Ice,” the pride of performing their own work evident on each band member’s face.
As Murphy hops off of the stage, he looks around the room, now empty save for the band themselves.
“We all start somewhere, man,” Murphy says, grinning. “I’m gonna play my s***, up until the very end.”
By Tucker Reilly, Contributing Writer
reillyt19@bonaventure.edu
