The Dead Barons have the classic rock band story: they play gigs where they can get them around their hometown and the surrounding cities, are full of talented musicians and the keyboardist is Peter Olofsson, professor and chair of mathematics at Trinity University.

The band plays a later fifties rock style, and the four members come together wearing matching t-shirts as part of their performance.

Olofsson is highly complimentary of his fellow band members and enjoys playing with them.

“They are incredible. So much talent with these guys. I have been having a blast playing with them. I joined the band a little while after they had already formed, but they accepted me right away. It’s been so much fun,” Olofsson said. “Jorge, our songwriter, is the greatest songwriter of all time. I’ll say that to Paul McCartney’s face. He seems to show up at every new rehearsal with three new songs for us to learn. It’s amazing.”

The band describes itself as a rock and roll/surf band, and they play a wide variety of songs. One of the unique things about this band is that they are a fledgling band that plays much more originals than covers.

“Out of the 37 songs we play, only three are covers.  It’s funny because most bands are the opposite when they start out.  They can do covers, but have a hard time doing originals,” said lead singer and songwriter Jorge Serna.  “For us, it’s the opposite.  Every time we try a cover song, we usually end up killing it.  Hence, we just stick to our own material.”

The band was started because of the members’ love for music and the fun they wanted to have playing good music with people that they enjoy being around. The band was founded out of two members of a collapsed band looking for a new group to play with. Doug Schaefer recounted the band’s formation in third person.

“Doug Schaefer (drums)  and Jesse de La Garza (guitar) were in a band called Elvis Cantu and the Baby Moons. That band broke up, and Jesse and Doug wanted to keep playing,” Schaefer said. “They put an ad on Craigslist looking for new members, and Jorge Serna (bass and vocals) responded. He was looking to start a band in a similar style to what Jesse and Doug were doing. We clicked right away.”

Schaefer went on to explain how Olofsson became a member of The Dead Barons band.

“We played a few shows as a three piece, and then Peter Olofsson (keyboards) sent Doug a clip of himself playing piano. Doug was impressed and asked him to try out for the band. Everyone was blown away by Peter’s musicianship and his t-shirt collection. He is a welcome addition to the group,” Schaefer said.

The band is currently recording a CD and plays shows in San Antonio on a regular basis. To find more information on shows and events that the bands will be playing at, visit its Facebook page.