If you happen to pass by McGill’s Lady Meredith Annex building off upper Peel St. on a Thursday afternoon, you might come across the sound of live music.
No, the Schulich School of Music has not relocated. The musicians you are hearing are medical students who are members of a pop/rock band called Garage MDs.
Despite obligations such as classes, exams, research and residency – or rather, because of them – the band’s members make a point of playing music together, to decompress.
“This band has really helped to bring balance to a very hectic program,” said Sepehr Mehrpouyan, member and manager of Garage MDs. “It highlights how music can build community and support mental health in a rigorous academic environment; it’s something we all look forward to.”
Strike a chord
The band was spearheaded by Mehrpouyan and James Meterissian, childhood friends and now third- and first-year McGill medical students, respectively.
“I started learning drums in high school, Sepehr was playing a bit of guitar, but it never really got anywhere,” said Meterissian. Like many aspiring medical students, both dedicated much of their time to studying and volunteering.
Yet when Meterissian was accepted to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences this past fall, music was on his mind.
“I realized I was about to be introduced to 200 new people, and I figured there must be a few guitarists, singers and keyboardists in there,” he said.
Both friends put the call out for musicians in their class group chats, and the result is a musical group composed of 11 future doctors: Anna Droppert, Jade Lapointe, Tracy Liu, Maria Madi, Arielle Mbuyo, Sepehr Mehrpouyan, Gleb Melshin, James Meterissian, Daniel Moses, Hélène Frida Simo and Sarah Wu.
Members sing or play guitar, piano or drums, and their personal musical tastes range from Adele to Led Zeppelin. Their repertoire includes the Eagles’s Hotel California, Bryan Adams’s Summer of ’69, and Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey.
“Being a medical student is inherently a disadvantage to playing music in the sense that your time in limited,” said Mehrpouyan. “But there’s a mutual understanding; we’re all in the same boat.”
Garage MDs have already performed at two McGill events and will play the Medical Students’ Society annual gala later this month; they also plan to apply to OAP in the fall.
“Our goal has always been bigger than just playing music,” said Mehrpouyan. “It’s about bringing people together, advocating for more student-led artistic initiatives, and proving that creativity and passion should have a place in even the most challenging academic environments.”
You can follow Garage MDs on Instagram.