Boatweiler EP cover art by Grace Amato.
As a student at Connecticut College, chances are you’ve heard of Boatweiler. The rock band currently made up of Kevin Hyland ‘21, Luke Pacilio ‘21, and Will Logan ‘20 (Conn alum David Batten ‘19 was also an original member) have made their way into the Camel consciousness over the past two years with their packed shows in the Barn (RIP), white captain’s hats, and rocking performance at Floralia last year. After releasing their newest EP in early October, I sat down with Hyland and Pacilio to discuss their killer new EP Boatweiler, and the future of the band.
If you haven’t heard of Boatweiler, here’s some background info. The band was started by Hyland in the summer of 2018 after his freshman year: “It kind of started as my bedroom project.” He had recorded music under different names since high school, but the songs he played around with that summer felt different. “I wanted to reinvent what I had been doing.” Hyland recorded Artifact that summer with a hometown friend. Once he returned to Conn, he realized that he wanted to continue performing those songs with his best friends from school. “Since then, it went from being a solo project to a collaborative, band process.”
It has been a productive year for Boatweiler. Since the fall of 2018, they’ve released two more EPs (Mayor’s Garage and the titular Boatweiler) and one single (Gasoline). Boatweiler, released October 18th, was recorded during last semester through Senior Week in the Cummings recording studio. The EP was completed and edited in their homes this past summer. Their favorite songs from that EP include “The Garden” and “Saturday Night.” Hyland and Pacilio both live in the same town in Connecticut and have vaguely known each other since middle school jazz band, where they respectively played guitar and bass. “I didn’t really know Kevin until Freshman Orientation when we would ditch events to go play music in the Barn,” said Pacilio.
Boatweiler’s music is mainly written by Hyland. However, recently they’ve started to write more music together. “I think as we’ve been in a band for a longer amount of time everything has become more collaborative,” explained Hyland. While Hyland was writing Artifact, Pacilio was writing music and forming another band with his older brother Jack Pacilio ‘20. Indie rock band Stereo Verde, which performed two weeks ago in Abbey House, features the Pacilio brothers along with Hyland and drummer Greg Venizelos. The two bands often practice together– “it’s cool to see how we can kind of turn one band off and one band on real quick,” said Pacilio. Songs like “Gasoline” and “Artifact” have become crowd favorites over the last couple semesters, with concert-goers often screaming along to the music, “which is seriously a dream, like that’s so cool,” admitted Hyland.
Hyland and Pacilio are both interested in pursuing music as a career, and are both Music and Technology majors. Logan is a double major in American Studies and Music Technology with a minor in Economics. Hyland and Pacilio are also involved in acapella on campus. Pacilio is the musical director of the Williams Street Mix and Hyland directs Vox Camelli. In addition to their roles in acapella, Hyland is co-president of MOBROC with Jack Pacilio ‘20 and Luke Pacilio is on PR. So how do they manage it all? “Well, most of the time it’s like planning your own self-destruction,” said Pacilio.
Currently, they’re working on getting their name and music out and beyond Connecticut College. Two weeks ago they played at Bowery Electric in NYC, and they are working to become a bigger name in the Connecticut underground music scene. “We want to move from being just a college band to being a Connecticut band,” said Hyland. When asked if they were worried about making it after college, they laughed. “If you’re not willing to work on your passion, then it’s not a passion, and you’ve got to strike when the iron’s hot,” said Pacilio. “I want to be a rockstar, that’s always been the dream,” added Hyland. “Even if we don’t get the success we dream of, the songwriting is never going to stop.” They’re hitting up the college circuit in the next couple weeks, making stops at Yale and Wesleyan.
So how do they find these gigs? “You’ve got to slide in a bit,” laughed Hyland. This summer they played all over New York and Connecticut. While taking gigs has taken a slight backseat since returning to Conn, they’re always looking for more opportunities to get their music out there. “It’s a lot of emails,” admitted Pacilio. Their performances off Conn’s campus have been successful, and they believe getting to play any show is a foot in the door. “The important thing is that you’re there and anyone can walk in and hear your music,” said Pacilio. They have no problem taking their music on the road in Logan’s van. Hyland believes the most recent thing they’ve learned is that their music resonates strongly for college kids and “angsty teens.”
If you’re curious about Boatweiler, follow them on Instagram @boatweilerband for upcoming concerts and merchandise, and give them a listen on Spotify. I recommend the classics “Gasoline” and “Artifact” and of course, their entire new EP (especially “Saturday Night”). If you’ve exhausted their new music, don’t worry: new stuff may be coming soon. And if any Ridge wants to shake things up, “hit us up [and] we’ll play your Ridge!” •
