Meet Bay Window:
The Band Providing a Live Soundtrack to the 2025 Run, Walk & Roll Event
By Christina Eichelkraut
Like many people during the depth of the Covid lockdown, Scott Turner, a guitarist and vocalist, was spending way too much time on his phone, finding solace in a group text chat with about eight other musicians.
Someone came up with the idea to start a kind of game in which one person would create a piece of music for the group – say, a drum beat – and then another person would add something to it using music software until a complete song was created.
Most of the chat members played various instruments and at least dabbled in the technical side of music production, so the game quickly took off.
At the end of the round, they’d have a Zoom meeting during which the final song was revealed.
It was fun, but as the world slowly reopened and people returned to their lives, only Scott, drummer Patrick McHugh and bassist Zack Kaiblinger were left.
“We were kind of the last ones standing,” Turner said.
The three had gone to high school together and were now in their thirties. But back in high school, they were on very different musical roads.
Kailblinger had taken some bass lessons. McHugh, who wouldn’t actually start playing the drums until college, was a talented clarinetist who played in championship bands. Turner, for his part, was deep into rap and hip hop, eventually finding his way to the guitar but not satisfied playing solo with just a CD player for backup music.
It wasn’t until the pandemic, however, that the three collaborated musically and leaned into that.
Since Kaiblinger had a physical practice space available to practice, once Covid restrictions were lifted the three musicians began to meet regularly, composing and recording songs.
After about a year, they realized they had created a full catalog of songs. But despite the group’s creative success, they weren’t sure they wanted to become an actual band.
“We weren’t sure if we really wanted to do anything like that, like kind of make a band, because we liked just jamming and having fun,” Turner said.
Still, the group gave playing a show a shot, and before long they were hooked.
“The more we did it, the more we really liked it and so we’re still going out and making new songs,” Turner said.
So far, there’s no regrets.
“It’s been quite a fun time,” he said. “One of my favorite experiences of my adult life for sure.”
Now that they were playing for crowds at venues, however, the group needed a name. The three settled on Bay Window, mostly because it was the name everyone could agree on, and even that agreement was pretty much based on the fact they liked the phonetic sound of Bay Window.
“We’re pretty good at making music together, but we’re not very good at making decisions on song titles and band names, album titles and stuff like that,” Turner said, chuckling. “It was really the one all three agreed on. We don’t have anything special; there’s no special story; it’s just kind of the one we all agreed on.”
And with that, the Bay Window band was formed.
An Inspired Sound for an Inspiring Event
When it comes to songwriting, however, the group has an easy, collaborative flow and gels together well. The result is a sound that hews towards alternative rock with some hints of indie-rock inspiration. They draw heavily from, and are often compared to, the band Modest Mouse.
“We don’t really have a specific process, it’s whatever happens,” Turner said.
Usually, the band’s songs come out of jam sessions. Someone will hear something that piques their interest and the group will build on it. Everyone contributes to making the finished song, with Turner usually adding lyrics once the melody’s complete.
Other times, the songs are the result of fleshed-out ideas.
“So it’s pretty much a group process which is nice,” Turner said.
Everyone participating in this year’s Run, Walk & Roll fundraiser will be able to enjoy Bay Window’s tunes, and the band is looking forward to the gig as well.
“It seemed like a fun opportunity to do something nice for an organization that we all support,” said Turner.
So far, Bay Window has been well received, and they recently released an EP called Medals & Millstones. You can listen to them on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. You can also get their music on Bandcamp.
It’s also not too late to be a part of Run, Walk & Roll!
Sponsor a team, register your own team, or come and cheer everyone on at this fun event!
Christina Eichelkraut is a recovering print journalist who founded Christina Copy Co. in 2011. When her keyboard isn’t clacking, she bakes complex artisan bread, nerds out on political science, uses her fountain pens to write to pen pals the world over, and reads long past her bedtime in a joyful disregard of her alleged adulthood. Christina earned her B.A. in Mass Communications with an emphasis in print journalism in 2006 from Franklin Pierce University.
ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA
The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.
What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.