This interview was conducted on Sept. 6, 2025, with members of Black Moss, a local band primarily made up of students. The band’s members are as follows:
Marz Reigns – Vocals, Kristin Jakosh – Guitarist (RIT Biomedical Science Alum), Clayton Donahue – Guitarist (4th Year Cybersecurity), Liam Myerow – Drummer (3rd Year, Ad Photo), Nik Bratten – Bass Guitarist (3rd Year, Illustration)
Q: How did Black Moss start, and what’s the story behind the name?
Kristin: Black Moss actually stemmed from a different project, which was originally just called Moss. Clayton and I are the only original members from that band but we’re a different version so we had to change up the name.
Clayton: Yeah, so I joined Moss and then it fell apart, so Kristin and I were like, we need the rest of the band. We needed a drummer and a bassist and probably a vocalist, and I ended up reaching out on the Snapchat community story for my year and I found Liam through that.
And then Liam knew Nik. We’ve been through like a bunch of vocalists since, but Marz ended up joining after open tryouts.
Is there anything you guys enjoy most about being part of this band and the local music scene as a whole?
Clayton: Yeah, definitely the connections and the friendships that we’ve made from it. Having traveled to different cities, like we went to Burlington, Vermont, for a second show, we went to Ithaca, we went to Buffalo, just meeting people out of state and getting to share our music and the connections that we’ve made, I mean, they’ll last forever.
Marz: I agree with what Clayton said that it helped me personally in getting to know more people and pushed me out of my comfort zone. So, it helped me grow in many different ways.
For those of you who are currently in college or have graduated, how do you manage the schedule of being in bands along with being a student and being at school?
Liam: I just make time for it. I love what I do, so I find it in me to set aside the time. Any free time I get pretty much goes towards music nowadays and I can’t imagine going through college any other way, to be honest.
Nik: Music to me just feels like part of life at this point. It kind of feels like I’d die without it. I treat practice times and shows and everything relating to this band and music in general as much a part of my daily life as eating, going to bed, doing homework, stuff like that, you know, it’s just integrated into everything that I do and it just feels natural.
How do you navigate the whole “sex and drugs” side of music, particularly in a college scene?
Liam: I feel like it’s a pretty straight-edge scene. In my opinion, at least the past few years have been pretty straight-edge in terms of what goes on. Of course, you know, there’s a lot of drinking, a good amount of drugs and I feel like sex is pretty prevalent, no matter what area of interest you’re in. But I feel like the past few years, at least at RIT, have been pretty lax, pretty chill and there’s the occasional after party and you get crunk as hell at the shows, but it’s just a good vibe overall, nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary. It definitely isn’t the focus of the scene and it’s definitely more about the music and the people.
Who’s the most interesting person or people that you’ve had at a show of yours?
Nik: The first time we went to Ithaca, we played with a band, Barfzilla and the Chairman Mao Experience (BCME). They were really cool people. We just started talking with all of them and we hit it off, especially with their guitarist, Wade, and their drummer, Sam, really cool people. That show was just a really good time. It was our first time in Ithaca and it was just really fun meeting all of them and everything, but we talked to them later. It turns out that the band would have to take a semester off because their vocalist was doing a study abroad thing, but we kept in contact with Wade and that is a really strong bond that I’d say we’ve formed through traveling around, just meeting people.
Clayton: Yeah, it’s been awesome. Wade ended up starting a new band with Sam, the drummer, called Awdam, and we hosted them for their first show at our EP release show. We’ve kept in contact, they’ve done really well since and I’ve made a real friend out of Wade, so it’s been nice to have that experience.
If you could tell your first-year self one thing about starting or joining a band, what would it be?
Liam: Whatever level you’re at, whatever you want to play, just do it. It doesn’t matter.
Nik: I’d say a technical skill isn’t always what you need. The most important part about being in a band, about being in one specific band, is working well with your band members. You can be the most technical or memorize your whole fretboard and know everything about that, but you can just not rock with your band and you can just not be willing to be open-minded with new concepts and things people want to try out, and that is what would hold you back as a musician.
I was really caught up in trying to learn how to play technically and once I started playing with this band, I realized that it’s not necessarily what I have to do. I work well with my band members and that’s what helps me improve as a musician. At least that’s what I tell myself, you don’t need technical skills and lessons as much as you need good people.
Clayton: I’d say just start a band with music that you really fuck with, and if it comes from the heart, it’s gonna be good, even if you think it’s weird or if it doesn’t fit. I think we’re probably the perfect example of that. We’ve got some weird music, but people get along to it and jam out to it, so just be proud of what you do and never be embarrassed about it.
What’s next for the band?
Liam: Big things coming! We’re not at liberty to say yet, though. But get excited, get hip and you’re gonna need a suit and tie.
