About

When UCSD graduate students Ashley, Landon, Ethan, and Miren aren’t studying brains, they can be found moonlighting as a soul/acoustic/pop/funk band. In addition to performing original songs (written by Ashley), they have been known to cover songs in just about every genre, from soul classics to folk music to modern pop. Since forming in June 2014, the group has played at a wide variety of San Diego events and venues including The Wine Lover, South Park Abbey, Java Joe’s Coffee Shop, The Birch Aquarium and The Salk Institute’s SalkFest

Contact darkmatterturtles [at] gmail for booking!

Meet the band members…

Ethan McBride is a bad ass mother f*cking trumpeter who was born holding a trumpet. He has never let go, except to upgrade to a better trumpet (which only happened once). The trumpet is an extension of his hands, lips, and soul. While performing bad-ass neuroscience experiments, Ethan often uses his trumpet to directly record the beautiful sound of spiking neurons. Sometimes, if they’re lucky, he plays back to them.

Ashley Juavinett is a bad ass mother f*cking guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is pleased to be playing with such talented turtles. Her last name is too weird and complicated, so she often goes by ashley j. One day, she hopes to be as cool as either Bill Withers or Aloe Blacc, but recognizes that she’ll probably only get as far as Britney Spears. Which is also okay.

Miren Edelstein is a bad ass mother f*cking violinist who began playing the violin when she was 5 years old and hasn’t stopped since. Originally a classical musician, she has since branched out and frequently arranges/covers songs from many genres of music, including folk, electronic dance music, soul, R&B, alternative rock and more. When she is not performing music, Miren can be found tickling the brains of musicians in her lab at UCSD.

Landon Klein is a bad ass mother f*cking drummer who was born twenty-some-odd years ago, exactly 8 months and 26 days after a passionate night of love making between soon-to-be President Bill Clinton and a poor Tijuana grilled cheese farmer named Rosita.  Cast aside by his star-crossed parents, Landon dispelled his sense of abandonment by developing a compulsive desire to smack large boxes (noting their resemblance to his father’s impeccably square jawline), referring to them by their Spanish name (cajón) as an homage to the humble roots of his estranged mother.  Landon never quite achieved the box-smacking catharsis he anticipated, and to this day can be found smacking boxes with all his might, smelling vaguely of white bread and queso, dreaming of a simpler life.