Zombies & Mumford & Sons

by John Bachkosky (3/22/2022)

Five years ago, in the depths of a basement in Severna Park, MD, with the lights low and the pizza half-eaten, zombies fell around us in droves. The horrifying moans and cries echoed as Kevin, Greg, and I muscled our way through the most intense puzzles and gameplay Treyarch Studios had to offer in Black Ops III. Hours passed. We slogged through round after round, intently staring at our screens until finally, finally, the cutscene rolled. We had successfully completed another classic zombies “Easter Egg”.

Thrilled at completing our challenge, we took a break and played some music. Kevin picked up his guitar, and we bounced around a few song ideas until we landed on one we all knew—Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford & Sons. Kevin played, I began to sing, and then Greg picked up the vocals in the chorus. We quickly fell into a comfortable three-part harmony without any prior discussion, and by the end of the song, the buzz of beating a video game challenge was overwhelmingly overpowered by the hum of what we had just done. No notes, no preparation, just music.

This was the birth of The Bards. Though we didn’t know it yet.

Two years ago, in the throes of the pandemic, Kevin, Greg, and I sat in separate locations across Maryland, once again playing zombies and once again challenging Treyarch’s puzzles, this time in Black Ops IV. While it wasn’t a “new” challenge, it was a comfort for us and a way to connect and have fun at a time where that was the real challenge. During that evening, we decided to write songs, and The Bards truly came to life.

Now, having released our first album late last year, we are very pleased to announce that we are bringing to you the song that started it all! Our cover of Hopeless Wanderer will be coming to a streaming service near you in the near future!

Keep an eye on our Instagram (@thebardsband) for the official announcement and check out our YouTube page (linked above in the website header) in the meantime for some other live cover performances!

Until next time!

JB6