On the warmest day of the year, when students emerged from hibernation to excitedly awaken the campus from its winter slumber, four musicians crowded into a cramped space of the WRUC studios on the fourth floor of Reamer Campus Center.
Performing as Nott Logical, the four – Cray Case ‘25, Sam Dickinson ’27, Alex Ottavio ’25 and Gianna Talarico ’25 – forgo the sun on this early weeknight to rehearse for two hours.
Members of Nott Logical - Alex Ottavio ’25, Gianna Talarico ’25, Cray Case ‘25 and Sam Dickinson ’27 - perform at the winter concert in College Park Hall in February.
Before long, they launch into “Take Me Out,” the 2004 hit by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand.
“So, if you're lonely, you know I'm here waiting for you,” Ottavio belts out in the fast-tempo guitar-heavy intro. “I'm just a cross-hair, I'm just a shot away from you. And if you leave here, you leave me broken, shattered I lie. I'm just a cross-hair, I'm just a shot, then we can die.”
With Case on drums, Dickinson on bass, and Talarico singing backup vocals and playing a baritone ukulele, it is easy to hear how their version of the iconic hit (it just topped a billion streams on Spotify) is a highlight of their versatile setlist.
Despite performing together for less than a year, the band has quickly developed a following, with bookings at fraternities, campus events such as ADayforU and local venues.
“We just wanted an opportunity to play together, and once we were able to share it with other people, it was even better,” said Dickinson, an architectural studies major from Brooklyn and the youngest member of the band.
The band’s origins began in a music technology class taught by Christopher Chandler, assistant professor of music. There, Ottavio was introduced to Case. The two juniors discovered a mutual interest in music and the desire to form a band.
After performing a couple of small shows on campus, the two departed on separate terms abroad. They reconnected upon their return, eventually recruiting Dickinson and Talarico to join the band.
Now they needed a name.
“It seemed only fitting to pay homage to our common connection as Union students by referencing the Nott Memorial,” said Ottavio, from Long Island. He is an interdepartmental major in biology and psychology in the Leadership in Medicine program.
The latter part of the group’s name was inspired by “The Logical Song,” a 1970s hit by the English rock group Supertramp.
The audience enjoys the music of Nott Logical at the winter concert in College Park Hall in February.
“It’s about students learning more about themselves and their capacity to grow and take in knowledge through their combined academic and musical experiences,” said Ottavio.
The group’s first gig was in October, at a WRUC event in the courtyard of Davidson House. They were understandably nervous performing in front of their peers. Since that debut, they have performed about a dozen gigs, both on and off campus. A highlight was opening for the singer Iyaz at the winter concert in College Park Hall in February.
“We’ve gotten better with each show,” Ottavio said.
At each performance, the band plays 20-25 songs for up to two hours from a setlist of mostly covers, from the Grateful Dead to Bruno Mars to 5 Seconds of Summer. They recently worked on an original composition in the TARDIS lab (The Acoustics Research, Design and Instructional Studio) in the Peter Irving Wold Center.
The emergence of Nott Logical harkens back to a time when student bands were nearly as common on campus as a package of ramen noodles. But time commitments, academic pressures and other distractions have drastically quieted the music scene.
Matt Milless started at Union in 2000, when student bands were far more prevalent than today. He recalls a time when there was an annual Battle of the Bands competition, with the winner rewarded by opening Springfest, Union’s iconic all-day concert featuring major acts.
“There have been bands here and there, but Nott Logical has been the most consistent band regularly performing on and around campus in the last 10 years,” said Milless, assistant vice president of Student Affairs.
“It’s clearly a labor of love for those students. They have a great deal of passion. They tend to draw a good crowd whenever they perform.”
Back at rehearsal, Talarico steps up to take lead vocals on “Linger,” a 1993 hit by the Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries.
“But I'm in so deep, you know I'm such a fool for you,” she yearns. “You got me wrapped around your finger. Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?”
Like her bandmates, Talarico has music in her bloodlines. Her brother was in a band as a student at Hamilton College. Watching him perform, she knew she wanted a similar experience when she arrived at Union.
“Being a part of Nott Logical has been one of my most rewarding experiences at Union,” said Talarico, a psychology major from Marcy, N.Y. “Getting to share our love for music with our friends and peers is always what I pictured for myself. The support of my wonderful bandmates in this personal journey was crucial, and continues to be deeply appreciated. I’m proud to call these boys my brothers, and I value our friendship and the music we create together so much.”
Nott Logical plans to keep busy with performances during the spring term. They also have some private events lined up for summer. After that, though, its future is uncertain. Three of the four members are seniors, leaving Dickinson as the only one who will be back on campus in the fall.
Could the band be a one-year wonder?
“It would be hard to carry on the name without everyone,” Dickinson acknowledged.
For now, though, they will keep playing their music, said Case, from New Hartford, Conn. He is a double major in art history and studio arts.
“We are just going to enjoy the moments that we have,” he said.