‘ ‘ ‘ Last spring four college students from Pitt, Point Park and Pittsburgh Filmmakers came… ‘ ‘ ‘ Last spring four college students from Pitt, Point Park and Pittsburgh Filmmakers came together to form the band Science is Dead. Since then, they’ve gone on to perform in venues from Pittsburgh to Manhattan. ‘ ‘ ‘ This Saturday, Science is Dead will play at Mr. Smalls Funhouse in Millvale as part of the Cloud Cult tour with other local bands Mariage Blanc and Big Hurry. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I can’t wait until the show at [Mr.] Smalls on the 15,’ said Science is Dead guitarist Nate Hanson. ‘First off, it’s great to play with a band like Cloud Cult, who plays great music and has a deeper message than the generic, soulless stuff that you see on FUSE and MTV.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The band consists of drummer Braden Faisant, a Point Park freshman, bassist and vocalist Maxx Gregg, who is a freshman at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, guitarist Jim Lerario, who will attend Filmmakers next semester after taking this one off, and Pitt’s own Nate Hanson who also plays guitar and sings. ‘ ‘ ‘ Although young, the four bandmates have garnered the respect of both audiences and fellow bands within the Pittsburgh music scene through focus and dedication. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We were always fortunate at having a lot of great local bands to look up to and learn from by listening to their albums, going to see them play and taking note of their work ethic, so that we could emulate that as much as we could,’ he added. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Hanson looks back at this summer’s performance in a New York City club as a testament to the band members’ commitment. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The coolest part was that we were these four kids who weren’t even old enough to drink, but were able to go to New York City and play at a great club because we worked super hard at trying to keep up with a lot of the older, more experienced bands that we would play with around Pittsburgh,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ One of these local bands that caught Science is Dead’s attention was Mariage Blanc, who will be at Mr. Smalls this weekend as well, along with Big Hurry. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Big Hurry is a group of really talented musicians with great vocals and really catchy hooks,’ said Hanson. ‘We are super excited to play with Mariage Blanc and Big Hurry.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Merging their past experiences from separate bands, the four members of Science is Dead create a mixed sound from a range of influences ‘mdash; including Fugazi, Small Brown Bike, Hot Water Music, Don Caballero, Pikadori, Built to Spill and Television. ‘ ‘ ‘ And from this blend of muses, Science is Dead writes original songs to create an indie rock sound ‘with some ’80s and early ’90s emo and punk elements,’ said Hanson. ‘ ‘ ‘ The band is currently developing a full-length album at the Machine Age Studios in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill ‘mdash; the same recording studio Mariage Blanc is affiliated with. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We are hoping to release the full length in the spring and find a label to help us distribute and promote the album both locally and regionally,’ said Hanson. ‘As well as keep building a fan base in the Pittsburgh area.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ And this weekend’s show will allow the up-and-comers to increase their local following. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘People should come to the show because it is four bands that play music because they love it,’ said Hanson. ‘It’s going to be a night of good music and fun. All of the bands will go out and have fun and play as hard as they can. It will definitely be a great show.’