The story of the Bananimals began in an old hardware store. The band, created by four high school students hoping to share their musical talent with others, found themselves together in the Lacy Arts Building, the former home of Kirk’s Hardware in downtown Noblesville. NHS English teacher Bill Kenley was holding a book signing in the space in November 2023, and the band came together in that art gallery not around a detailed plan, but instead based on an unconventional idea.
Senior Jaiden Casey had aspirations of sharing her music with others and was determined to make that dream a reality. She decided to do this with the help and talent of her friends, senior Rene Aguirre Molinares, junior Xander Marshall, and senior Cohen Vaughn.
“The Bill Kenley book signing happened, and I really wanted to play it,” Casey said. “So I lied about [us] being a band, and we made a band.”
Casey’s spur-of-the-moment decision put the new group in a predicament. Although they had members, music, and instruments, they had to figure out a way to put them together into a cohesive group sound before the event.
“We genuinely had seven days to learn our songs and then we played there,” pianist Marshall said.
After the book signing, Bananimals became more than an idea: it came to life. The members knew they couldn’t only play cover songs, so they started writing music. However, the members say their written music tends to come from their feelings rather than any set ideas.
“Usually, someone will come in with a chord progression, and we’ll just jam on it and try to figure out from there how we really feel the vibe of the song,” Casey said.
Beginning bands can sometimes struggle with finding their vibe, but the Bananimals don’t worry about focusing on one genre. The musicians say their method of writing songs helps the band, each tune sounding fresh and different from the previous one written.
“There’s no one idea of what a Bananimals song is. It’s just music,” Casey said.
All four members have a different journey through music. Marshall began piano at a young age but continued into high school, skipping beginner piano classes and jumping straight into piano teacher Carrie Cain’s advanced courses.
“Freshman year, I started taking piano lessons inside of school. I’ve got Cain to thank for that,” Marshall said.
Cain teaches high school musicians of all ages how to refine their musical skills, and she has taught three of the four Bananimals. The group members say that they appreciate the work she’s put in to make them the best musicians they can be and have her to thank for their eccentric band name.
“I had some gifts on my keyboard that kept showing up, they’re Bananimals. I later found out Cohen was leaving them, and everyone knew except me,” Cain said. “They came in here one day, talking about making a band, and they had a performance opportunity, but no band name. I think I made a joke like, ‘You guys should be the Bananimals,’ but then it actually happened.”
According to the group, creating a band has been an enjoyable experience and has grown into something much bigger than the classroom and the banana-themed animal statues they were created from. The members are hoping to get their music out for others to enjoy.
“We’re planning to head around Indiana this summer and just play as many all-ages venues as possible,” Casey said.
While the basics of a band involve making music and scheduling gigs, Casey says finding a connection with those she’s working with is just as important. According to her, the Bananimals have become something closer than just a music group.
“It’s a family more than anything at this point. These three are like siblings to me,” Casey said.
The members of the band say the relatable music they play has become close to each of their hearts. According to Vaughn, being more relaxed when creating music is an important part of the process.
“Music’s pretty cool. Enjoy it. Experiment with creating. Do not overthink. Overthinking kills creativity,” Vaughn said. “People are normally creative, but when you spend hours trying to figure out such tedious things, it ruins it.”
Although the band loves their time together, their musical journey will have to take a break as three of the four members are currently seniors and are heading off to college. The band members are planning to forge their own paths and eventually meet up again.
“We’re all gonna go our separate ways except for me and Jaiden,” Aguirre said. “We’ll have our little reunion tour for sure.”
However, the Bananimals are not over just yet. Even though the upcoming split may be difficult to come back from, Casey explains that the group will eventually return when they feel the time is right.
“We’ll come back to [Bananimals] when we come back to it,” Casey said, “but c’est la vie.”
