#SoCaltech: Don Neill

“Well, the thing that I've been focusing on aside from science is music. Right before the pandemic, I received a box of CDs for a five-song album I released with my creative partner, called Moon in the Branches. We had big plans to start promoting it, but, of course, it all got shut down. So, what I've been doing is working on recording stuff at home. I've actually put out a video on my YouTube channel recently [Don Neill Songs]. It's interesting: I've been talking to some friends who are professional musicians; one of them does soundtrack music for reality TV shows and another is a film scorer. We all sort of agree that the best things that we've seen since the pandemic are the videos that are not overproduced, that are very simple, just basic recording, nothing fancy because we want to feel like we're with people in these circumstances. We want to feel a sense of community. To me, performing music in front of people is a communal activity. It's not just about me. So, you want as few barriers between you and the audience as possible. I just have a fairly decent microphone and an interface, and I record just guitar and voice, and that's it.”

Don Neill is a research scientist in space astrophysics at Caltech. He is also a stand-up comedian, an improv actor, and a musician. 

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.