There are plenty of exciting experiences in college, but for a few specific Loyola University music students, the biggest experience was forming a band.
Formed in 2011, Naughty Professor is a band composed of six members that’s a little bit jazz, a little bit funk and a little bit soul. Sam Shahin, the band’s drummer, said through hangouts in a “sweaty practice room” on Loyola’s campus, six musicians came together to form a sound that was their own.
“Through a series of jam sessions, we kind of figured out who we had chemistry with and decided that this one core group of people was just good enough to be a band,” John Culbreth, Naughty Professor’s trumpet player said.
With six voices in one band, putting together music is a collaborative effort.
“It really is six voices that are putting down, six voices coming together to create a whole,” Shahin said.
Culbreth said the way the band puts music together is “really collaborative.” Every band member comes with a different angle and inspiration. The band breaks into separate instrument sections to strengthen their parts and then come back together to construct a full song.
Shahin said what each band member brings as inspiration can be different from another’s inspiration and doesn’t necessarily have to come from music. He said a band member could see the screenshot of a swamp and find it as beautiful inspiration for a song.
“It could be from musicians that we’ve seen before and been inspired by to something in the city that one of us thinks is really cool,” Shahin said
Culbreth said a big aspect of the band is how eclectic it is. He said everyone’s different angles and backgrounds help create a sound that is Naughty Professor specific.
“That’s something that really appeals to me about this band is that we get the opportunity to grow as individuals simultaneous as a group,” Shahin said.
Another strong influence is New Orleans and the community it brings.
“Although we’re not a New Orleans band and don’t play New Orleans-style music, it is the reason we exist,” Shahin said.
Culbreth said New Orleans has a heavy collaborative music nature. He said it’s normal to walk down the street and find someone playing music and be welcomed to play with them.
That involved community transferred over to Naughty Professor’s Voodoo Music and Art Experience show Nov. 1.
“There was a nice crowd and they were energetic,” Shahin said.
Shahinsaid from a live performance perspective, the audience has a huge influence on the band. He said they have the ability to pump energy into them and no matter how many audience members there are, it’s fun to perform.
For a band that travelled all night from a Texas show the night before, the high energy crowd was exactly what they needed. Naughty Professor will be hoping for another energetic crowd when they head to Baton Rouge for a Dec. 4 show at Chelsea’s Cafe.

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Raegan Labat

Naughty Professor performs at VooDoo Music Experience Saturday, November 1, 2014.