The Delaware bar scene’s Ohio Wesleyan representatives no longer include just students, thanks to a classic rock band comprised of four OWU professors.
Professors Erin Flynn, Mark Gingerich, James Franklin and John Stone-Mediatore are the members of The Stolen Fire, which was created in the fall of 2011.
Stone-Mediatore and Gingerich began playing music together before the other two members joined in on the fun. When the search for other musicians began, Stone-Mediatore knew exactly where to go. He had played with Franklin in bands before and knew of his talent. Franklin quickly joined the band, leaving a frontman as the band’s only missing component. The trio heard about Flynn’s captivating and energetic performances through the grapevine, and once Flynn was on board the band was set to get started.
“Just everything clicked, these guys are really good musicians and all of us have been in bands before,” Franklin said. “We could just sit down and play music that sounded good.”
The band’s name comes from Greek mythology.
“Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to give to humankind,” said Stone-Mediatore, a literature professor. “I like the literary angle of that story.”
All the professors are thrilled with how the band has turned out and love getting together on the weekends to jam out in Stone-Mediatore’s basement studio. “It’s great, I think it’s been going about perfect.” Franklin said.
“We’ve all been playing in bands since we were really young, so it’s really important to us,” Stone-Mediatore said. “We have a great time.”
Many students know the band because they have seen them perform live at Clancey’s Pub on Saturday nights. Stone-Mediatore said he is overjoyed every time they get a chance to perform in front of students.
“Students have so much energy, and that’s really great for us because it helps us play better,” he said. “It’s really special because it enables us to have fun with the students and get to know them not just as students, but as people.”
Franklin said he is a little more unsure than Stone-Mediatore about playing in front of his students.
“It can be a little strange, we’re the professors and their our students,” Franklin said. “We see each other in a whole different way than you do in the classroom.”
Along with Clancey’s Pub, the band also performs at Roop’s Pub and at events hosted by the university.