The members of Marv and the Stikky Bandits didn't come to Auburn expecting to join a band, but their experiences making music ended up becoming a large part of their college stories.
"You don't just come to college for educational purposes," said Casey Chilson, junior in industrial engineering and keyboardist. "You're learning to be social and to interact with people.
"Being on stage, you have to involve the crowd, and you also have four other people you have to work with timewise. I've learned a lot about dealing with people and just enjoying people's company."
Spencer Daniel, senior in communication and lead singer, said the band started at the end of his junior year a few months after his previous band, Moose, broke up.
"We started thinking, 'We can all play instruments, so we might as well get together and try to form something to have fun and do something on the side,'" Daniel said.
Dave Chenault, senior in business and bass player, graduates in May along with Daniel and Tony Braswell, the lead guitarist. Chenault is preparing for a job interview with an oil company.
Most of the band members have majors that don't involve music, though Chilson thought about double majoring in piano.
"I met with the office of engineering and asked if that would be a possibility, and they said there was no way I could do it,"he said.
Chilson has been playing the piano since the seccond grade and said being part of Marv and the Stikky Bandits was the opportunity he needed to keep playing.
"There's not much more I can be taught about music," he said. "There's a certain point when you kind of have to play to get better, and I think that's where I am. I just have to go out and do it myself."
Daniel chose to major in communication because he thought it would help him easily interact with others, both as a lead singer relating to his audience and as a future employee.
"With the major and my music it helped me kind of relax and be comfortable in my own shoes," Daniel said.
The band name was meant to be silly, and Daniel said he thinks it's a perfect fit.
"We sort of tried to come up with really technical names sort of along the same lines as Perpetual Groove or Umphrey's McGee, like these jam bands that are popular now, and we realized that was a little too serious," Daniel said.
Daniel said when the band finally came up with the name a night or two before their first performance, they were inspired by the burglars from the "Home Alone" movies.
"We were just kind of doing this part time," Daniel said. "We were a new band just trying to have fun with it. We didn't want people to get the wrong impression. We started texting some friends, and they thought it was hilarious, and I think it fits us perfectly. If you watch us in a show, we're very energetic, and we have a lot of fun with it."
The band's first performance was at Bourbon Street Bar, and co-owner Dan Grider said the Stikky Bandits are great at keeping the crowd excited.
"They kind of add their own twist to it," Grider said. "They're not just playing songs that people know, but they play songs that people know, and they add their own style to it and make it more entertaining."
Daniel said the band performs everything from Nelly to the Beatles in an effort to play music the audience likes.
Even though the band will be performing for the last time at a wedding this summer, Chilson said being in the band has meant a lot.
"It's been a huge part of my college experience," Chilson said. "It's been a blast. I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I would put it right up there with any class I've taken."
The band performs at many Greek events and will also be playing Feb. 2 at Bourbon Street Bar.
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