Consisting of guitarists Gehred-O’Connell and Dalton Scolman, drummer Tommy Johnson and bassist Mariah Foerster, the Fearle$s Pandas formed by a simple spur of the moment idea.

The band formed during a trip to Six Flags last year. With all of the members having histories in music, they believed they could pull it off.

“We just kind of wanted to. We just said, ‘let’s make a band’,” guitarist Calvin Gehred-O’Connell said.

The Fearle$s Pandas believe their genre of rock/metal could be the next big thing.

According to the Fearle$s Pandas fan site, the Pandas are, “The bee’s knees, the dog’s pant, and the cat’s pajamas mixed together, thrown into a cannon of kick-ass, and shot into a dark canyon of amazing.”  The band also advertised future auditions for a new Fearle$s Pandas singer.

Before forming the Fearle$s Pandas, each band member had been part of another musical group, having been members of either Jazz Band or Marching Band.

“I played the viola in fifth grade, and have been in Jazz Band since Freshman year,” guitarist Dalton Scolman said.

Referencing other music groups like Mastadon, Every Time I Die, and The Gallows, Scolman believes that the Fearle$s Pandas could be the next big thing.

With the Fearle$s Pandas being such a musically diverse band, the band members had a really tough time placing their band in a specific genre.

The band considered genres like punk, metal, and easy listening, along with their own unique genres, including “mind destructing”.  So far the band has only performed once, at the Speedy Bean in Jefferson.

“[Performing at the Speedy Bean] was awesome,” drummer Tommy Johnson said.

Even though the police were called because of a noise complaint, the band enjoyed their performance, along with their pay of coffee and milkshakes.

With one performance in the bag, the Pandas have continued to write new material for future performances.

“We have five songs, but we have material for about twelve,” Gehred-O’Connell said.

The band predicts that they will have enough songs within the next few months to be able to release a CD. During the songwriting process, the Fearle$s Pandas have tried to rehearse as regularly as possible so as to perfect their performance.

“We practice when we can, which is usually about once or twice a week,” Scolman said.

The band has also started practicing for future performances, which include Rock Lotto, Jazz di Pasta, and drummer Tommy Johnson’s graduation party.  The band has been  searching for future performances and gigs.

Performing at Summerfest is also a possibility, depending on the result of Launchpad, a high school band competition at UW-Madison in June. If the band wins the Launchpad competition, they automatically qualify to perform at Summerfest this summer.

With an ever-growing fan base around the Fort Atkinson area, the Fearle$s Pandas have already started designing merchandise that will please even the most die-hard Fearle$s Pandas fan.

“We’ll have about 20 different T-shirt designs, priced at about twelve to fifteen dollars,” Gehred-O’Connell said.

The band members plan to inform the public when Fearle$s Pandas merchandise is released, either through posters or word-of-mouth.

The Fearle$s Pandas consider themselves a unique band, bursting with potential. With the band in its beginning stages,only time will tell how far the Fearle$s Pandas will make it in the music world.