Owasso’s Best New Band - Greyland

By Declan Bunch

The term “high school band” commonly conjures up images of inexperienced teens jamming together. With high hopes, they possess enthusiasm and optimism but often lack the expertise to skillfully hone their ideas. “High school band” would not be an appropriate term to describe Greyland, whose members play with a certain confidence and precision that far exceeds their age.

Photo of Greyland taken by Declan Bunch.

Greyland- consisting of Timmy Keil, Derek Archuleta, Cameron Schollenbarger, and new addition Ignacio Hurtado- first met in their sound engineering class at Tulsa Technology Center. They came together through their mutual love for music and the craft, often teaming up for projects in class. They officially formed their band in the summer of 2022, and played their first show on July 16.

Their first performance was modest. However, the crowd there to support them was anything but modest. They attracted many friends, fellow students and music lovers to the beloved Tulsa music store, Josey’s Records. Greyland filled the room with their enthusiastic covers and impressive new material.

This performance was only the beginning. The group soon after was selected to perform at the downtown coffee shop, Foolish Things. Here they were set on a bigger stage to play with established bands. If they had any trouble integrating into the new environment, it wasn't noticeable. Again, the songs they played rocked the room. 

When asked about their biggest challenges in the project, lead guitarist and vocalist Timmy Keil admits, “finding the right people has definitely been the hardest part of creating the band.”

But this wasn't too much of a challenge for the group, as they recently enlisted bassist Ignacio Hurtado. Hurtado had already been established in the Tulsa music scene, through his own band Wilted. Apparently, he was just what they needed.

“I feel good about the future of Greyland, after finding Ignacio,” explains Keil. “We have been able to write songs better and faster than in the past.”

Since then, they’ve seen bigger audiences and bigger venues. But the band has taken every new challenge in stride. Their confidence has grown as a group, as is apparent in each successive show. The stage presence of each member has grown in its own way, giving their group character and depth in live performances.

Greyland has also proven itself with recorded material. As common for a new band, members have had to come up with clever ways to record and distribute their material. With the help of local producer Keaton Curtis, Greyland has been working on engineering their music to be released on streaming. While only one track is currently available, they hope to release more music to streaming very soon. The band has also talked about using revenue from shows to professionally record their material.

“Greyland has been everything we hoped for and more,” Keil proudly states. He explains further, “The band has helped each member express themselves in different ways.”

With impressive chemistry and unique material, Greyland has already established itself in the Tulsa music scene. Their performances are happening more often around downtown, and are worth checking out. While their current standing would be considered modest, Greyland is full of optimism and passion that will surely guide them to a successful future.