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July 1, 2026

It wasn't exactly The Beatles atop London's Apple Corps HQ in 1969, but for four lads from Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ (Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­) with an appreciation for retro sounds, the homage was fitting.

Kevin Ayoub (lead singer, guitarist), Sato Christman (guitarist), Mike Palomares (guitarist), Gray McNamara (drums) of the band Crimson celebrated the upcoming release of their debut album "Cowabunga" on June 21 at a concert for friends on the roof of the parking lot at "Garage 14" on the University of Florida campus. The independent project was produced at local Pulp Arts recording studio, with an anticipated drop date in mid-July.

Ayoub began as a solo project in high school, providing all the vocals and instrumentation with the help of a friend to serve as a producer.

"My friends in high school were into making rap albums," said Ayoub, who was part of the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Dual Enrollment program. "I wanted to be involved in my own kind of music — more indie, alternative, rock style. We recruited a drummer, along with Sato, to do live shows. Our drummer left at the end of his senior year for UCF, but I knew Gray from Bucholz High School when we did the 'Rock of Ages' musical together. In Fall 2025, I met Mike in the music classes at Santa Fe. 

The final band roster began playing a lot of local shows — Geeks, The Ox, The Wooly, The Bull, Civic Media Center, Loosey's Downtown. "We haven't done a bar mitzvah yet, but we're open," McNamara joked.

The genre is best described as 'eclectic,' pulling from a wide array of influences that the four artists infuse into their music. 

"Everyone in Crimson has their unique taste, so it's hard to put a label on us," Palomares said. "We were going for something alternative rock/progressive sound, but each song in the album sounds completely different." 

Each member of Crimson has chops in several other instruments, which allows them to flex their range and keep the sound unpredictable. It's a skill Ayoub said was honed by the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ approach to music instruction. 

"It wasn't until I started at Santa Fe in one-on-one classes here that I developed a genuine understanding of the instrument I was playing," he said. "You need to know the rules before you can break them. But the benefit of the peer connection and getting feedback from other musicians at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ in juried performances is huge too. That criticism ultimately helps you grow."

Assistant Professor Ed White is a Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ music faculty member who has worked with Crimson to tighten their skillset. He's also a working guitar professional, which he said offers another level of benefit to those with similar musical aspirations.

"I'm super-proud of these guys because they followed through on doing something very cool — not all students follow through," White said. "I'd like to think that instructors like myself and Ryan (Hecker) provide an atmosphere where students can do more of that and get connected to opportunities in the community.

"We have a really good relationship with Pulp Arts, and Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ hosted shows in the Lyceum when artists come into town. These musicians will sometimes hold master's classes."

The bandmates put in weekly rehearsals to woodshed their craft in a surprisingly sound-proof room in Ayoub's home in a west Gainesville subdivision. "We haven't really had any complaints from neighbors, but there's a musician down the street who always wants to jam with us," Ayoub said. 

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ has a growing culture of student affinity collectives like Saints Records that gathers, in this instance, musicians, writers and artists, to share their creative passion and serve as a resource for performances, recording, distribution and marketing to take grassroots tunes to the people, much like Crimson's current studio, Pulp Arts, that was conceived for maverick artists who want to launch their projects independently. 

"Putting out your own stuff is more authentic," McNamara said. "Our recording wrapped in two days, followed by a much longer period of post-production." 

"It's important for us to make music we have fun playing and enjoy listening to ourselves," Christman said. "I just want us to reach the biggest audience we can who enjoy our type of music. Now with streaming services, it's opened up endless opportunities for artists to get themselves out there."

For their youth, the members of Crimson are well aware of the historical music legacy of Gainesville — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Don Felder, Stephen Stills. They recognized the special cohesiveness that this smaller town offers for artists, and their place in it.

"I've lived here my entire life, and sometimes it just hits you that 'This is a music town,'" Ayoub said. "I'm really grateful to be part of the music scene here. The community is so accommodating — all we ever needed to do is ask for an opportunity to play a venue, and they almost always said 'yes.'"