Nyiko Beguin and Ethan McBrien were born on the same day a town apart, in Hancock and Dublin, respectively. Now both students at the University of Vermont in Burlington, they started a band named for grades at Mountain Shadows School in Dublin, which they both attended.

The band is called Whales and Wolves, which are the names of the second and third grades at Mountain Shadows.

McBrien learned to play guitar for a performance requirement for graduation, and began practicing in fifth or sixth grade. Beguin started playing piano around the same time.
“We hadn’t played music together until late high school,” Beguin says.

The pair plays mellow folk rock along with Hancock native Peter LaPlante, who plays drums. Beguin says he was originally more into hip hop music, but the folksy music he plays with Whales and Wolves is more expressive.

“It doesn’t have to be as loud and you can hear everything going on,” Beguin says. “There is more space to do it.”

Two summers ago, the group recorded an album called “Green and Gray,” in Jaffrey with Ben Rogers, which also included the melodica and the mbira.
Whales and Wolves plays original music, and McBrien and Beguin sing harmonies in every song.

Beguin says he and the band have played shows in Keene, Boston and Burlington, but is excited to return to Peterborough to play. Whales and Wolves played the Toadstool one year ago, which is where they will return for this evening.

“We’ve been wanting to play a show in Peterborough for a while, and it hasn’t been able to happen because we’ve been busy,” Beguin says. “I want to make it free and very local so anyone who had an interest wouldn’t be too torn to check it out. It is going to be great to share these songs with people who I have known for so long, and can’t come up to Burlington to see us play.”

Beguin has been playing live music since he was eight years old, when he had guest rap spots with the band “Welcome to Florida.”

“I like playing live because it’s a chance to share all of these thoughts and ideas and maybe even dreams of what a song can be,” Beguin says. “It also is a good way to see how the group reacts to what you put into a song and see what people like.”

“Most of all, it’s just so fun,” he adds.

Whales and Wolves will play the Toadstool at 7 p.m. Thursday. The show is free.

This story appears on Page 13 of the Jan. 7 Ledger-Transcript.