From playing guitars in dorm rooms to performing in front of live audiences, “One Million Beers” has quickly risen in prominence. But the band has been brewing for a while.

Photos by Amy Suh

In 2022, then-first-years Eph Esson and Colin Friedel met early in the school year, quickly finding a common interest in guitar.

“We started becoming better friends and we did one or two performances together,” Friedel said.

Initially an acoustic act, the two attracted attention at events like the Owl’s quarterly Coffee House events for their talent and exciting stage presence.

The two joined forces with Sean Rossmeissl, a lyrical powerhouse who had been looking to join a band of his own after they pledged to the ever-popular Phi Delta Theta social fraternity the next year.

“We’d like to make clear that Phi Delta Theta in no way defines our band,” Rossmeissl assured. “We are a separate entity.”

Under the moniker Valleys of Eden, the then-trio took a step into the limelight for their first show–KSCU’s Sonic Bloom on Swig Lawn. With Esson and Friedel on guitars and vocals and Rossmeissl on bass, the group's unmatched chemistry immediately stood out.

It was only up from there, and the group knew that they would need to make a few changes to really cement themselves into the shark tank of bands at Santa Clara.

“We didn’t have a drummer before,” Rossmeissl said. “We always wanted one, and when Brix joined our fraternity the next year, we saw he played drums and brought him in.”

Sophomore Brix Brewster was no stranger to music before meeting the group.

“My mom, dad and brother were all drummers,” said Brewster. “So I was raised in a family of percussion.”

With an experienced drummer on deck, the band had finalized its lineup and began mapping out the road ahead. Declaring Valleys of Eden a “dumb name,” the band settled on the fresher, more daring One Million Beers.

“The origin of the name? Well, there’s not a lot there,” admitted Rossmeissl. “I kinda just thought it was funny cause we all like to have a casual beer on the weekends.”

Drawing influence from a wide variety of artists ranging from the Grateful Dead to Zach Bryan, the group began to hone in on their own sound as they delved into songwriting.

“For the first couple of songs, I would bring a couple of chords in or Colin and Eph would bring some ideas and everybody would workshop around them,” detailed Rossmeissl. “Once we had the instrumentals laid out, I would begin writing lyrics.”

Having racked up a strong collection of tunes, the group plans to release an album before the end of the year, though recording logistics still need to be dealt out.

“Right now, we are just saying yes to every show we can possibly get,” said Friedel. “We’re just trying to get our experience up playing live, and we love it.”

And they are not lying. Right now the band is set to play so many shows, one might call it a Santa Clara University tour. At 9 p.m. on May , they have a performance planned at DaSilva's Bronco with popular campus group Dental Insurance. The next day, the band is set to perform at CalPhi’s “Calchella” darty (among other names). On May 9, the band will return to the Forge Garden, where their most recent performance showcased otherworldly guitar solos to an enthusiastic audience.

The group is ecstatic for their busy future, taking on every new experience with open arms.

“It’s been a dream of mine since middle school to play in a band with my best friends,” said Esson. “I’ve been so grateful to find these guys!”