Musicians aim to win another Battle of the Bands in Deep Ellum
They say music is the universal language. At Deep Ellum Art Company’s Battle of the Bands high school showcase in 2025, seven students from St. Mark’s School of Texas proved their fluency.
The St. Mark’s Rock Band, known as SMURB, competed in the annual competition for the first time in the school’s history — and came out on top.
The competition showcased five Dallas high school rock bands, with proceeds benefiting After-School All-Stars, a comprehensive after-school and summer program that aims to close the opportunity gap for children while keeping them safe.
The band came together in 2024, when four St. Mark’s students — Deven Aurora, Wyatt Loehr, George Hoverman, and Calvin Yates — decided they wanted to form a rock band.
“Wyatt and I tried to start one in the past, but it was hard to schedule because he was in high school and I was in middle school,” said Aurora, class of 2027.
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Once the timing was right, the group began performing at coffeehouses with other student musicians from St. Mark’s and Hockaday, later taking the stage at school assemblies and events, including the senior auction.
Between rehearsals and weekend hangouts at Loehr’s house, the group’s friendship grew along with their sound.
“We became really close because of this, and ended up spending a lot of time rehearsing,” Aurora said.
The 2025 lineup featured Eli Thorne on drums and vocals, Jackson Williams, Daniel Deng on keyboard and guitar, Calvin Yates on bass, Deven Aurora on guitar, and Wyatt Loehr on drums and kazoo.
The band is set to compete in the annual competition again this spring and has added more talented names to its roster. The current lineup is led by returners Thorne and Aurora, as well as some new faces — Rocky Lancaster and Nathan Aldis on vocals, Sam Morse on guitar and vocals, Henry Erick on guitar and bass, Peter Clark on keyboard and vocals, and Henry McGill on bass.
While some original members have graduated, their musical paths continue to cross. Deng is now majoring in music at Duke University, Williams sings in an acapella group at Washington University, and Yates is searching for his next band. Aurora and Thorne both plan to keep recording and performing in college.
With another Battle of the Bands on the horizon, SMURB is preparing to turn up the volume again. Determined to show the crowd how far a shared dream can take them, Aurora is confident the group’s legacy will prevail “to stay relevant and continue at St. Marks for years to come.”
