By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
Brought together by brotherhood, six Kappa Sigma members found more than just community within their fraternity—they found a lifelong musical passion. Their band, Dog Watch, has not only ignited a spark, but also created a musical journey that goes far beyond Baylor.
The group’s roots trace back to the spring of 2023, when several members, inspired by a band hired to perform at a Kappa Sigma event, decided to start a band of their own. In the spring of 2024, after a few name and member changes, Dog Watch became a serious endeavor for the group.
Roseville, Calif., senior and lead guitarist Ethan Cole had been in a band before starting college. After joining Kappa Sigma, he decided he wanted to find other members with whom to start a band.
“I knew that I wanted to be a part of a band, and kind of seeing the opportunity I had with the large amount of members in our chapter, I figured there’d be people around that played instruments,” Cole said.
Initially, the group started by playing covers of alternative rock songs; eventually, they graduated to writing their own songs.
Dallas senior and keyboardist Jackson Thornton said that once the band started crafting their identity as a group and songwriters, they began playing local shows around Waco to gain traction and experience.
“We started playing at Freight a couple of times last semester, and then we eventually kind of got out of Waco,” Thornton said. “We made it to Dallas last September and played a show there. It was a great turnout, and it was our first ticketed show. We were able to draw a decent audience, so it was pretty exciting.”
While the band’s core sound is rooted in rock, their music spans a range of styles. Some songs draw influence from punk rock, others embrace indie vibes, and still others lean toward alternative rock.
The band’s songwriting process starts with one of the members sending a riff into the band’s group chat, which is then transformed into an entire arrangement. The lyrics are writtensolely by Columbia, S.C., sophomore and vocalist Evan Todd. He noted that the process is both cathartic and creative for him.
“I write down for five minutes as much as I can on a paper, and it’s not lyrics or anything,” Todd said. “It’s just a stream of consciousness, just getting everything out of my head onto the paper. And usually by then, I’ll use the riffs that they sent in, and I’ll use the music that we have, and put what pops in my head and see what sticks.”
One of the band’s songs is titled “Dough,” which Todd said he wrote as a criticism of generational wealth and the privilege that comes with it.
On Nov. 22, the band will release four songs on every major streaming platform.
“We are looking to release about four of our songs,” Todd said. “We have about nine or 10 that we can whittle down and choose from. A lot of these songs are different genres that we just like to see how they fit together. We have a lot of harder punk stuff. We have a lot of more modern alternative rock, and we have a couple of things like, you know, little funky songs that we like to put in there. So the writing process has been really fun for us.”
While the band – other than Todd – is composed of seniors , the group is enthusiastic about continuing to pursue creating and performing together after they graduate.
Dallas senior and bass guitarist Jack Swaner said that the members plan on moving to nearby towns in Texas to stay close and prioritize playing shows. Houston senior and rhythm guitarist Greydon Fenn said that when the time comes, he’s even willing to sacrifice his job for the band’s success.
“So I think we’d all kind of like to at least meet up a couple of times a month and keep stuff going and play on the weekends,” Swaner said. “As far as Evan goes, I’m not sure he’s going to do these next two years. I’d say that we can tour in the summer, and I think that’s the ultimate, or that’s the kind of year-end goal to have just at least a May tour this summer.”
