After forming a year ago for a Junior Follies performance, Cy and I, a band composed of Chapel Hill High School students and alumni, have become regular performers at concert venues throughout the Triangle.
The band is made up of seniors Cy Steele-Cobb, Gustaf O’Brien, Max McMichaels and Chapel Hill High School alumnus Aidan Gilette. Other students, such as seniors Lyla Berman and Yikuan Sun, have been featured singers for the band.
Since forming in November 2024, the band has played many shows, including a headlining gig at the Cat’s Cradle on January 19. The band performed alongside 2023 graduate Cogan McMichaels and senior Adam “Xavier” Gad.
Senior Kayla Poellot attended the concert to show her support for her friends in the band. “I loved the atmosphere at the show,” Poellot said. “Both the openers and the main act all had wonderful music that either left you tearing up or jumping around with your friends.”
Though the band started last year, the members have known each other for much longer. O’Brien and Gilette have known each other since elementary school. “I met Aidan in fourth grade when he moved into my neighborhood,” O’Brien said. “I got to know Cy and Max in seventh grade, and we became super close over quarantine.”
At the time, O’Brien was in a different band with Gilette. He fondly recalls McMichaels’ failed attempt to join. “Max tried to join the band I was in with Aidan by playing an unusual instrument, the omnichord. Look it up,” O’Brien said.
Though his attempt at joining the band was unsuccessful, McMichaels did not give up and pitched the idea of creating a new band to Steele-Cobb.
He and Steele-Cobb both come from musical families and have always wanted to be part of their own band. “I started playing the keyboard very early, probably around five,” Steele-Cobb said. “I’ve always thought it would be cool to be in a band because my dad was in a band and played lots of music growing up.”
Years later, McMichaels finally had his perfect opportunity. “Max told Cy and I that he was going to apply for a spot at Junior Follies our junior year,” O’Brien said. “I made sure he knew that I played the drums and would be very happy to play with him. Cy then got roped in, and the three of us made the auditions.”
Luckily for the group, the name was not difficult to come up with, as it had already been coined years earlier. “The name came about in sixth grade when Max realized that saying Cy and I sounded like ‘cyanide,’” Steele-Cobb said. “We then decided that if we ever had a band, that’s what it would be called.”
Since the 2024 Junior Follies, the band members felt they needed to expand their horizons. “We started looking for other shows and realized we needed a bassist, so we picked up Aidan,” O’Brien said. “We ended up getting a spot in the Be Loud Sophie Showcase after a couple of months. We’ve gone on to play The Cave, Local 506 and the Cat’s Cradle.”
With so many locations, the band needed someone to organize all of their gigs. Berman, another close friend of the group, was perfect for the job. “The band members are some of my closest friends since sophomore year,” Berman said. “I try to schedule shows for them across the local area. Then, sort of as a groupie, I go watch all of their shows and sometimes even take photos.”
As for the future of the band, Cy and I’s members aren’t quite sure what can be managed post-graduation. “The band continuing after graduation isn’t out of the picture,” O’Brien said. “We’d need to gain a decent following.”
Steele-Cobb concurred, citing unknowns like post-graduation plans and location as potential hang-ups.
Despite the challenges, one thing is clear: as long as they’re together, these friends will perform in the Triangle for as long as they can.
