These Topeka teachers formed a band for a fundraiser. Its popularity was unexpected
The amps click on, and the packed rural basement fills with the electric buzz of pure alt rock.
Zach Dinges' fingers begin on the swinging bass licks, while Ryan Bach shreds his guitar along in inspired riffs. Sean Riley kicks in with his booming drumset, and Randy Crome takes the mic, bullhorn in hand.
Welcome to a different kind of stampede — one started by the motley crew of the Untamed Mustangz.
By day, they're regular high school teachers. By night, they're still regular high school teachers, but ones who rock the heck out.
How Seaman High's Battle of the Bands birthed Untamed Mustangz
Like the origin of the band itself, the name of the band came about as a joke — Bill Preston and Ted Logan had already taken Wyld Stallyns.
It was spring 2018 when the Seaman High School Key Club decided to have a Battle of the Bands fundraiser. The problem was, you kind of needed to have at least a few bands to compete against each other to make it worthwhile.
"Kids don’t really make bands these days, we discovered, so (with Crome), we put one together and played a few old songs, and I guess people responded positively," Bach said.
The two Seaman High social studies teachers later recruited French teacher Sean Riley and English teacher Zach Dinges — two teachers who have regularly played with other area groups —to round out a full band. The Untamed Mustangz quickly became a hit around school and continued to play at other fundraisers.
After the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on most school activities, the Untamed Mustangz continued to perform, at first at outdoor, socially distanced gatherings and later at occasional house parties and community events.
"It’s a chance for us to put ourselves out in front of students and be human for a bit," Bach said. "It’s like the teachers who enjoy doing the pep rallies and that kind of stuff."
"Part of it too is that it’s these songs and bands we’ve loved over the years that we play," Crome said. "It’s something different to get to sing and play them with people, compared to just listening."
For Untamed Mustangz, teacher rock band is about fun
Over the years, the band has always enjoyed jamming with each other, even though a couple of band members teach at different schools.
The Mustangz — each with their own eclectic selection of favorite bands and styles — play songs that could collectively be put together into the alternative rock genre.
They're very much not Gene Simmons imitators, but depending on the venue, they'll "sanitize" their selection a bit, they joked.
More: Seaman High rocks with Battle of the Bands
"Playing at school definitely feels different compared to playing at a bar or something like that," Riley joked. "We try to ‘restrain’ ourselves a little more."
Still, the band enjoys playing for their students, since it lets them show off a more "human" side of themselves.
"There’s something valuable for kids to realize, you can keep playing," Dinges said. "You don’t have to do it as a career or as a professional music. You can get together with some friends in your basement and figure out some songs, and if someone lets you on a stage or pays you, that’s even better.
"It’s a lesson teachers are always teaching, and it’s a good lesson to kids."
Catch the Untamed Mustangz performing from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at The Brass Rail Tavern, 1610 N.E. Emmett St.
Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at 785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka teachers play rock music in band Untamed Mustangz
