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| Tom Miskavige, MD Class of 2012, strikes a chord in discordant garb while performing at Springfest (photo courtesy of Cullen Donohue). |
You might have seen them at Springfest in Grand Forks, rocking the bandstand in the early afternoon in bright, spring clothes and animal suits. A crowd formed early in their performance, and by their last song, India Ink had fans screaming for more.
The unique aspect of India Ink revolves around their ties to the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The band was originally formed in the winter of 2010 just before the annual UND SMHS Talent Show, which takes place every January. The original band consisted of seven medical students who all, coincidentally, play different instruments: Tom Miskavige on lead guitar, Charlie Lenz on lead vocals, Andrew Swenson and Michael Greenwood on bass, Erica and Brian Sauer on keyboard, and Justin Ferragut on drums. “Tommy’s always been the boss who put it all together, but it just turned out that we had enough people in our class to make a whole band,” said Lenz, originally from Duluth, Minn.
Since 2010, Sauer and Greenwood moved on to their first year of post-graduate residencies, and several of the other members have gone their separate ways. But that didn’t stop India Ink from continuing to perform. Today, the band has six members, not including guest singers and musicians who often join them onstage. Two of the members, Jessica Burkholder and Mark Hovland are undergrads majoring in biology. Hovland plans on undertaking the path set down by his future bandmates, and Burkholder plans to apply to the Physician Assistant Program this summer.
As a Grand Forks native, Miskavige uses his connections to build not only a following for India Ink but also a foundation for concerts and appearances for the band. His persistence landed him a very rare opportunity to play a show at downtown’s Joe Blacks, an establishment that typically refuses to host musical events. The band remembers the show fondly as one of the most entertaining performances of the season. Miskavige’s promise to establishment owners and event coordinators is simple: “You won’t be disappointed.”
