In fall 2021, senior (then-sophomore) Spencer Kates had booked a show to play at the co-op, a local St. Louis venue. But there was an issue: he didn’t have a band. A few weeks earlier, he had played with senior Henry Windish and junior Evan Quigley at a Washington University musicians resource group jam session, and asked them to join. They were in, with the addition of Gabe Hamburg on Bass. So the four performed together, marking the first show of what’s known today as Non-Euclidean Geometry. Later on, the band had written a song that needed a saxophone, and in a stroke of luck, Evan Quigley had booked a plane ticket returning to WashU right next to senior saxophonist Maeve McFadden. Recalling the events, Kates said the conversation went about like “Oh, you go to WashU? You play saxophone? Will you join our band?” McFadden completed the band as it exists now, with band manager Kates on guitar and  vocals, Windish on guitar, Quigley on drums, Hamburg on bass, and McFadden on saxophone and vocals.

The name, Non Euclidean Geometry, actually comes from Kates’ friend in high school, who he remembers picking it because “Euclidean geometry is everything. Non-Euclidean geometry is cool and four-dimensional.” Now, Kates says “it’s funny to have some kind of hard-to-pronounce name, but it lends itself to some really cool designs, cool posters — our logo design is really cool. I feel like any other name would have a different vibe to it.”

The group released their first album “Into the Midnight” this past February, which was named best local debut album by the Riverfront Times. Kates was initially shocked: “I don’t know what forces in the universe dictated this…it’s insane because we are a college band, and we recorded it down the hallway[in the Harvey Media Center]”

But, with Quigley going abroad in the fall and the rest of the band graduating either this semester or next, their last planned show is for Saturday, Dec. 9 in Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room. The group has played at Blueberry Hill twice before, and it carries importance to the members. Kates said “the Duck Room has been such an influential place that I’ve seen some of my favorite artists of all time…Getting to peddle our wares at the same place as Chuck Berry, the Beths, and Indigo De Souza, it’s just so crazy.” 

Nevertheless, each member has their own interpretation of what this show will mean. 

Kates said “the door is closing, but it’s still unlocked.” 

Quigley said “it’s not closing, I’m just leaving the room for a little while.” 

Hamburg said “I’m looking forward to it.” 

“You’re looking forward to never seeing us again?” Quigley jokingly replied. 

No matter how you see it, the future of Non-Euclidean Geometry will undeniably be different, but to the five, it’s just “until next time.”