Kaylee Rex
Arts & Culture Editor
Avery Stoker, a Millersville Music Business Technology freshman, recently played a show at the Chameleon Club with his band, Androcles. It was the band’s first official performance; Stoker described it as “a whirlwind.” As most first gigs go, the band had some small setbacks. Luckily, Androcles was able to overcome the technical difficulties and play for the estimated forty people in attendance.
The duo consists of Stoker, who performs guitar and vocals, and his New Jersey hometown friend, Andy Kapetanakis. The band’s music has a new wave and alternative feel. Stoker credits Duran Duran, The 1975, Chvrches, and Iron and Wine as some of his major musical influences. Eighties music and ‘60s psychedelic music also impacted the type of music he likes to play.
Stoker’s father, who was a drummer in various bands, influenced his taste in music as well as his decision to continue pursuing his talents in college. Stoker recalls his father bringing him on stage at a young age and singing “Rockin’ in the Free World” by Neil Young. He considers the father-son performance as his first gig.
Stoker started out playing the upright bass, then moved into playing guitar, drums, bass, piano, and ukulele. In his band Androcles, he sings and plays guitar. “It’s a way for me to feel the way I was feeling when I wrote a song” Stoker says about performing. He likes that performing keeps him active and on his feet. Stoker also appreciates opportunities, like Androcle’s recent show at the Chameleon Club, to get feedback to make future performances better.
While choosing a post-secondary school, Stoker looked into a few conservatories, but they were not contemporary enough for the direction he wanted to take his music. He chose Millersville University for the next step in his music career because it had the best program for giving him a shot in the contemporary world. He hopes his music will help him travel and get his work out to as many people as possible. Stoker looks forward to collaborating with other artists in the future, and hopes that he will one day get to work with The 1975’s front man, Matty Healy.
Stoker is currently thinking about doing a solo spoken word album as his next project. As for Androcles, they just released a single on Oct. 13 and are hoping to release another single in December. The duo’s music is available on most music platforms including ITunes, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.
