There are bands aplenty on campus — professionals with released albums and start-ups in the underground — but rarely can general audience members track the origins of a band as it rises to greatness. BAM! is a relatively new addition to the market, but in the past year, they have already brought truly memorable musical shows to the stage.

BAM! consists of eight members. There are two singers, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a back-up drummer and a keyboardist. Primarily singing covers, BAM!’s repertoire consists of mostly indie Korean American music.

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BAM! began as an idea among USC Korean Culture Night’s members after the performance of another USC band, Band Kori. BAM! guitarist Hannah Lee, a senior majoring in business administration, recalled the first thoughts of creating a band came in Spring 2023. With the help of KCN’s funds for music equipment and frequent meetings where recruiting for a band was advertised, BAM! was created.

Lee explained the name BAM! pays homage to KCN, the student organization that began it all for them. The name is derived from the Korean phrase: 한밤 — romanized “han-bam” — which could mean both “one night” and “Korean night.” Shortening the word to just BAM! simplifies the name while still respecting the Korean culture backing the band. The exclamation point at the end adds a quirky and unique touch.

Each member of BAM! is a member of KCN; BAM! is, first and foremost, a part of the KCN family, representing the Korean American community fostered in the organization. 

Ryan Kim, the bassist and a senior majoring in business administration, said the highlight of being with BAM! was creating a band with a community as passionate about music.

“Especially because we see each other so much, it really feels like something that’s not so amateur all the time, either. It feels like I’m in more of a serious music group, which is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Kim said. “I never knew how to, but then, all of a sudden, this opportunity comes. I’ll definitely remember this as my most special moment of college.”

Justin Roh, a vocalist and senior majoring in film and television production, connected his time with BAM! as musical art and other mediums of art and expression in his life. 

“For me, the main source of language is the visual medium, which I’ve been trying out the last semester,” Roh said. “This year gave me the opportunity to meet people whose medium is uniquely musical.”

Joonho Hong, the drummer and a junior majoring in business administration with an emphasis in risk management, spoke on how the teamwork of being in a band like BAM! creates a space that invites friendship. 

“Once you start working together in something — that could be anything really, but especially in the band environment — and getting that experience together, there’s a lot of coordination,” Hong said. “It really brings people closer together and made a good community from them.”

Beyond good vibes and fun times with friends, anyone who’s seen them perform knows they are exceptional musicians. BAM! has given a home for talented musicians to expand their craft even when their craft does not fall directly under their career path. Roh commented on the surge of motivation he’s gained from singing in a band and how he has grown as a musician because of his involvement. 

“The title of being in a band gives me a better purpose for my practices,” Roh said. “I feel very gifted that I have this side project that is music. I sing; I improved.”

With great skill, however, comes great pressure. Musicians of any caliber can attest to the anxiety of consistent perfection practice and performance demand from them. But with BAM!, the members’ goal of playing together could not be further from that musical pressure.

“Of course, we should try our best to play well and produce the best work that we can,” Hong said “But also, in my personal opinion, having fun is just as important if not more. There’s something in that natural chemistry that you can get out of having fun.”

Among the members, it’s as if they made an unconscious agreement that their first priority when playing together is to have fun. BAM! is focused on maintaining that optimistic attitude toward music and sharing music through the highs and lows of school and stage. 

“There are times when it does get a little bit more anxiety-inducing when we push to the show day, but at the end of the day, it never ends with any tension,” Kim said. “We have fun at the end. We all get along really well, and we know each other really well. If things did happen where maybe one person was really stressed out about something, it’d be easy for us to lighten the mood.”

As this school year draws to a close, the graduating seniors of BAM! are entering the next chapter of their lives.

When asked if they still wanted to keep playing music with the family they found with BAM!, the graduating members seemed eager to hold onto this piece of their life at USC. 

“Ideally, if we do expand in the future and keep together, I think I’d want it to be a little more professional in terms of equipment and recording and the set up to play,” Kim said. “I think writing our own music would be a crazy step up.”

As the seniors of BAM! are graduating and the young band is entering the next chapter of their journey at USC, BAM!’s musicians continue to look forward to expansion and improvement. Through creating such a tight-knit family through the medium of music, BAM! makes it clear they do not intend for this time to be the end quite yet.

“It’s a little sad. I feel like talking to our friends, all of us are still down to keep BAM! going,” Lee said. “We’re all down to continue it.”