Mason Smith has been drumming his way through EHS as a member of The Blimps, a student band that has numerous gigs lined up for the summer including Musikfest in Bethlehem.

But as fall approaches, Smith will head to Connecticut to study criminal justice at the University of New Haven. His goal is to eventually get a master’s degree in forensic technology and work at crime scenes. 

Stinger: What drew you to that area of study? Is that something you’ve always been interested in?

Smith: Quite frankly I like  puzzles and thinking outside the box and stuff. And I feel like the best way to implement  that curiosity or wanting to solve puzzles and stuff would be to work within a crime department. I feel like that would be a pretty beneficial way of giving back to the community.

Stinger: You mentioned that you really like puzzles. Is that something that you feel in school you usually like to seek  out in your classes?

Smith: I definitely like a class if it’s thought-provoking. I think if a class isn’t thought provoking, then like what’s the point?

Stinger: How do you feel about playing gigs? What’s your favorite part?

Smith: I don’t know. I just really enjoy music. Music is like a top passion of mine. So being able to perform music for people, it’s pretty invigorating, and I like to think I’m pretty good at drums so it’s also like a chance to you know show off my talent. In a sense, but I also think it’s just really cool to see all these people come out and enjoy what we’re playing for them. So, it’s pretty neat.

Stinger: As a musician, who are your three biggest influences and inspirations in what you do?

Smith: Probably Neal Peart of Rush. He’s like the best drummer of all time so I kind of got to listen as an influence. Also another drummer I really like is Dave Grohl of, you know, Nirvana and Foo Fighters, and [I like] the Police. Now, I’m trying to get better at playing the piano and synth stuff. So synth rock is what’s inspiring me right now.