A chance meeting in Physics 230 between engineering students Andrew Bivens and Jared Wills was just one of the chance meetings at Western Carolina University that sparked the formation of bluegrass group Upstream Rebellion.
The Western North Carolina-based band plays songs from “Set Fire to the Rain” to “Man of Constant Sorrow,” and their website says, “We play to connect, we play to preserve, and we play to give back to the communities that raised us.” And connect they have: Upstream Rebellion currently has 48,000 followers on TikTok and 23,000 on Instagram.
“We all occasionally enjoy reminiscing about the random ways that we met at WCU,” said Andrew Bivens, a mechanical engineering student from Rutherford County and a guitarist for the band. Three band members knew each other from childhood in Haywood County, and crossing paths at WCU from jamming in dorm common areas to connecting through classes brought the group together.
“Long story short, we all have WCU to thank for the opportunity of meeting each other,” said Bivens. “It’s been the perfect environment to create, promote, and enjoy mountain music.”
Their recent concerts have included two at WCU – one at the Mountain Heritage Days festival and another at a Family Weekend event co-presented by WCU Engineering Discovery. Five of the six band members have ties to the WCU College of Engineering and Technology: One graduated with a degree in engineering technology and two with degrees in construction management. Two are current students—one studying electrical engineering and the other mechanical engineering.
“My biggest regret is that I didn’t meet the guys earlier,” said Adam Winebarger, a guitarist and vocalist from Wilkesboro and graduate of WCU’s construction management program. “I usually just played music by myself, especially not expecting many others to enjoy the same music as I do. I saw a video of Max playing the banjo and sure enough, he was in all of my classes.”
Winebarger said they made plans to “pick” together and began playing with other musicians informally, quickly realizing they had something.
“We thought to ourselves that we sounded pretty good and would try to take it somewhere,” said Winebarger.
Bivens said what he enjoys about guitar is being able to express himself through music and sharing music with other people.
“Playing with a band is such a special thing,” he said. “There are moments when it all comes together that make all the work we’ve put into it worth it.”
As the musicians build and dream about careers outside of music in fields from electrical engineering to construction management, they’re also excited about the future for Upstream Rebellion.
“I’d love to see Upstream Rebellion become a full-on recognized professional band,” said Wills, the band’s upright bass player and a WCU student from Murphy majoring in electrical engineering and minoring in mathematics. “Even if we don’t get there, I’m ready to see how far we can take it.”
> RELATED STORY: Bluegrass in Blue Ridge: WCU students, alumni start Upstream Rebellion band
