Consisting of four fraternity brothers with a love for playing music, The Odettas have been on Auburn's music scene for more than a year.
"I think it's common among all of us in the band that we just love music in general," said keyboardist Matt Dean, junior in biomedical sciences. "We love listening to it and playing it."
When the band first started jamming together for fun, they soon realized they wanted to do more with the music.
"We first went to Bourbon Street Bar, a Thursday in the middle of summer 2010," said drummer William Heilpern, junior in finance. "We ended up bringing out a huge crowd from Tuscaloosa and Montgomery, and that's where it started."
After their first show, The Odettas began playing at bars and fraternity parties throughout Auburn and ventured as far as Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.
The band covers songs by groups such as the Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Phish, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and others.
The Odettas said one of their favorite things about playing in Auburn is being able to put on a show for their friends.
"Friends from here and other schools come in town and watch us play," Heilpern said. "It's like a reuniting. That's what I enjoy most about it."
Those friends look forward to seeing the band's energy on stage, knowing The Odettas will pick songs that most students love.
"I always love watching them play because they have so much fun and everyone loves to sing along," said Mollie Kindahl, senior in elementary education.
The group said they enjoy playing with other local bands and singers, connecting the Auburn family even more.
"Auburn has a lot of really good live music," Roney said. "We're really honored to be playing in Auburn alongside bands like The Good Doctor, The Chronic Blues, The Bama Gamblers, etc."
The Odettas said they recognize this chance does not come around often.
"Not everyone has the chance to do it, so if you can while you're young, you might as well do it," said vocalist and guitarist Ray Nichols, recent Auburn graduate in history.
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