When musicologists chronicle the soul-funk Bedford band Elise and the Minorities, will the story end at Springs Brook Park on Aug. 7, 2022?
The musicians – all 2022 Bedford High School graduates — couldn’t say for certain as they finished their last set Sunday at the park before heading off to colleges around the Northeast.
“We’ll all be keeping in touch,” said Ethan Lee, the talented tenor and keyboard player about to begin his studies at Berklee College of Music. “Music is the language that will never die,” laughed the band’s reliable bass player, Andy Zhou, who will attend Villanova University outside Philadelphia.
Prakhar Gupta, fronting on lead guitar and vocals, was a little wistful. “We had a good four years,” he said, as he and his bandmates packed up their gear under the tall pines near the picnic area.
The band was born in the spring of 2019, when Elise Harfield, anchoring the band on the drums, needed an ensemble for a class project. “And I needed a ride with Prakhar,” Lee recalled.
Harfield, who also can play guitar, will be studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan’s Chelsea section. She and the others said her family friend, Mike Kimball, was a big help in those early days, when Kimball was doing some private teaching with Patrons of Music Students (POMS).
That turned out to be just the first chapter for Elise and the Minorities. They followed up with a Music Department cabaret performance in June. There were benefit performances during fundraising events at the Flatbread restaurant.
Covid-19 actually created some new opportunities for Elise and the Minorities. They contributed to the virtual senior project by Haley Portlock ’20. They performed a few times outdoors for POMS events.
But the past year the band went to the next level. Everybody agreed that the highlight was a concert on the BHS outdoor basketball courts on the seniors’ last day of school. They also played some community music, Porchfests, as far away as Somerville and Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.
And what about the band’s name. “Well,” said Harfield, looking at each of her fellow instrumentalists. He’s not white. He’s not white, And he’s not white.” “It’s a joke,” Zhou chimed in. Gupta remarked, “Actually it’s really funny.”
Classmate Keira Doyle added a female voice to this summer’s repertoire, and joined the band at Springs Brook. She has enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Sunday’s gig – the final one for a while if not forever – was part of Springs Brook’s 51st anniversary celebration highlights. The group featured several softer selections, some two- and three-part harmonies, an instrumental, and nice covers of BeeGees and Bill Withers classics.
A few fans sat on the ground for the entire set, but most of the appreciation came from passers-by of all ages, who stopped for a few minutes to listen and applaud.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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