Indie music is often misunderstood. Generally speaking, it tends to be disregarded as a genre for only hipster kids and the painfully ironic.

Many people envision a group of manic depressive musicians gazing longingly at their shoes as they play gloomy, melancholic music. But a group of five Cal High students have set out to prove these people wrong.

Seniors Mark Jones, Zach Dighans, John Annunziato, Austin Anaya, and Hussain Khan make up Wolf Trap Lives, an upbeat indie alternative band that formed last summer.

The founding members, Jones and Dighans, began playing music together their sophomore year. They both played acoustic guitar and performed original songs.

For Jones, who’s played in multiple bands prior to Wolf Trap Lives, it came naturally to bring other musicians into the mix.

Mutual friends Annunziato and Anaya began jamming with Jones and Dighans during the summer prior to their junior year.

“We were all separately friends before we started playing music,” Dighans said, “so it was just like, ‘why aren’t we playing together?’”

Wolf Trap Lives was officially born during the summer before their senior year, with Jones, Dighans, and Annunziato on guitar, Anaya on drums, and recently Khan as lead vocalist.

Khan, a close friend of the band members, started attending the band’s rehearsals shortly after they formed.

He joined Wolf Trap Lives in February. With experience as an independent rapper and lyricist, Khan lent his writing skills to Wolf Trap Lives’ instrumental songs.

When the band first started writing music, they made instrumental songs focusing primarily on infectiously catchy, tightly-woven guitar riffs.

The band performs original songs, such as “I Sense It” and “Trumpets in the Sun.”

Wolf Trap Lives creates well-marginated melodic themes and textures that simmer throughout their music.

The band plays with loose, sweeping guitar movements to create a sense of space and atmosphere, using stirring melodic lines that swell into a flurried crescendo. They then drop off into fun, upbeat guitar riffs.

Jones, Annunziato and Dighans exchange roles as lead and rhythm guitar, allowing the band to experiment with different genres.

Using elements from skater punk to post-rock (a rock sub-genre involving complex guitar riffs and minimalistic chord structures), Wolf Trap Lives creates songs with intricate musicality but also a crowd-pleasing charm.

“We love being in front of people,” Jones said. “Stage presence is really important to us, and we wanna make sure we have all the attention on us.”

Wolf Trap Lives has played multiple backyard and house shows, drawing large crowds and garnering a loyal fan base.

Recently, the band played a show in Khan’s garage to kick off spring break. It was the first time all five members have performed together in front of an audience.

“We pulled about 75 kids to this driveway,” Jones said. “Everyone was having a really rad time and getting really into the music.”

Wolf Trap Lives’ shows are audience-oriented, focused on creating a memorable performance for everyone involved.

“It was the most insane moment of my life,” Khan said. “It was really fun. It messed up my house pretty bad. But all the same. It was totally worth it.”

Wolf Trap Lives also performs at more low key shows, including regularly performing at the widely popular Liberty Project, a student-run group that hosts monthly meetings to discuss current issues.

Senior J.T. Garwood, one of the founding members of the Liberty Project, enlisted the band to perform at the monthly forums after seeing them perform at a house show in November.

“We decided that these guys would be great to open up the show and give us a little bit of fire before we start discussing,” Garwood said.

On May 7, Wolf Trap Lives once again performed at the Liberty Project.

As the audience filed into their seats, the band started off their set with “Nomadic,” an instrumental piece that used post-rock textures with pop sensibilities.

Next up was the brief and upbeat song “Bikini Bottom,” followed by a duet between Jones and Anaya. They then played “I Sense It.”

Their final song, “Coffee Mugs and Recreational Drugs,” started off with heavy feedback, then leapt into a loose, pop-like vibe.

As their senior year draws to a close, the members of Wolf Trap Lives will soon part and go their separate ways.

Next year,  Khan will attend Purdue University, Annunziato will attend UC Santa Cruz, and Anaya will join the Marines.

Jones and Dighans will be moving to Portland to attend college. They plan to continue to play music together.

Although Wolf Trap Lives’ members are breaking away from the pack, the band will always hold a special place in the heart of the graduating senior class.

“Our [senior] class loves them, and they love our class,” Garwood said. “It’s great to see our friends actually doing something, and doing it well. They bring a lot of fun and a lot of party.”