Business Casual performs at multiple venues in the South Bay

Rachel Rosen

Staff Writer

Mira Costa senior bass player Jesse Eads, senior lead singer Kira Levin, senior drummer Henry Staton, junior singer and guitarist Cole Fishman and junior keyboard player Daniel Dale bring their individual talents and passion for music together to form their jazz and funk band, Business Casual.

The band officially came together two years ago, but some of the members have been playing together since elementary school.

“It’s so much fun to get to play with other talented musicians and share our passion for music,” Levin said. “I am inspired by each and every musician I play with and I always leave rehearsal excited to go home and practice.”

Business Casual is filled with young and extremely eager artists who are determined to make a name for themselves in the music industry, Levin said. The band members take their art very seriously and practice frequently to book as many gigs as possible, Fishman said.

“We practice one to two times before every gig so we can make sure everyone is solid on the tunes,” Levin said. “We practice at Cole Fishman’s house. He has an awesome music room with a piano, drum kit, amps and a wall of guitars.”

Although they are high school students, Business Casual has experience playing in front of multiple live audiences. The band books gigs at Suzy’s Bar and Grill in Hermosa Beach and performs at private parties and events throughout Los Angeles, including the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair on Oct. 6.

“To get gigs, a business or family either reaches out to me to book us for an event or we reach out to a specific venue to book for a night,” Fishman said. “So far we have had no problem finding venues to play at.”

Each of the members has a different background and style, so their interpretation of each song is different. The versatility is what makes Business Casual so unique, F i s h m a n said. The band’s musical style is a mixture of rhythm and blues, jazz, and soul said Levin.

“Our song process is fairly simple: somebody suggests a song cover and we all learn it,” Fishman said. “We all arrange and play it in our own way.”

The members of Business Casual have different plans for their future careers in the music industry, but all want to continue playing and performing together.

“We plan on playing as much as we can until we all go our separate ways after high school,” Fishman said. “We want to keep arranging and playing songs in our own way and even release some original music in the future.”