Vegetable oil is used in cooking quite often, but this Tuesday students found out that it could be used to power cars, too. Big Tree, an indie pop band (with psychedelic rock influences) performed at UNH Tuesday, April 16, and their tour van runs on grease (which Bartels typically has an excess of during its meal hours).

The UNH Green Team, also cosponsoring with SCOPE and MIC, invited this quintet to come play in the Quad and kick off upcoming Earth day events. The concert was going to be held in the Quad, but a perfectly-timed rain shower prevented this venue from being used. Instead, thanks to the scrambling of quick students and Green Team President Michelle Murphy, a new venue was found.

Members of the band didn’t let the rain or the very small crowd affect their attitude. They were happy to include UNH on their east-coast tour. “It’s nice to be able to look out into the crowd and see everyone’s face,” said lead singer Kaila McIntyre-Bader. Big Tree is also comprised of backup singer Anna Ghezzi, guitarist Dan Pirello, bassist Luke Bace, and drummer Matt Schory. Their set included about 11 songs, between which they talked and engaged with the audience.

After about one hour of music including maracas, harmonicas and a tambourine, the band wrapped things up and stayed around for students to ask questions. The main subject intriguing everyone was about the vegetable oil as fuel. 180 degrees is what the oil has to reach in order to be used in a vehicle, and it is 85 percent cleaner than diesel. Usually bands in this situation would take a mechanic with them, but Big Tree kind of went out on a limb.

Pirello saying “we got books [and decided] we’d better study up. It feels really good to drive 600 miles and say that we didn’t stomp on the Earth.”

This factor fits the bands image very well, as they express the essence of West-Coast life through their ambient music and organic image. “Trees, fractal geometry, and whiskey,” are what the band claims as its inspirations.

Big Tree formed in 2008 while its members studied at Sarah Lawrence College in New York; their current location is the Bay Area of California. They have wandered around from coast to coast, and their music is said to reflect aspects of both regions in regards to nature.

Check out Big Tree’s Facebook page, or bigtreesings.com, and take a listen to their music, which includes two albums and two EPs. Big Tree displays how it is possible to “go green” in a career path that is dependent on using up resources, and how, if they can be successful, we can do our part too.