You may know them as one of Brandeis' hottest up-and-coming bands, or for one of a hundred other reasons: their bold personas, their smooth, improvisational lyrics or their jazzy-rock infused music. If you don't know them, then learn their names now. Pianist/singer Phil Seleznick '05, guitarist Tom Pernikoff '05, bassist Mike Park '05 and drummer Mark Record are known to many across campus as Red Shift. This group of individuals has drawn a large fan base from first-years to seniors, all vying for a glimpse of the men behind the buzz around Brandeis' music circuit. Yet there is more to this group than first meets the ear. The members of Red Shift met last year, after each honed his own musical talents independently before they realized their chemistry as a group. "I met Phil through a jazz group here. Well ... actually I didn't introduce myself until Tom brought us together," Park said. "Tom called me out of the blue and sounded very official, saying that they were looking for a bassist, so I met up with them and auditioned. I'd like to say that it was instant chemistry, but it wasn't. I stuck it out a little for a while and we started connecting both musically and as friends."

Pernikoff, whose musical background stems from a deep interest in blues, rock and jazz, had spent most of last year playing shows at Cholmondeley's with fellow guitarist Matt Goldfine '05. They built up an impressive reputation, but the duo was short lived, and Pernikoff moved on to forming his own band, Pocket, which consisted of Pernikoff, Seleznick, Park and drummer Ari Teman '05. However, his relationship with Teman was also short-lived: He left because of various personal conflicts between him and the rest of the group, taking the name "Pocket" with him and leaving the band without a drummer or an identity.

But, Seleznick's watchful eye picked up on Record, who had played with Seleznick in a previous band called Clan Du, and it seemed fitting that he join the pianist yet again. After numerous brainstorming sessions and sit-downs, the name Red Shift was born.

From an avid listener's point of view, it is difficult to classify Red Shift's musical style -- after all, they draw comparisons to everything from jazz to rock. Yet listening to Pernikoff belt out wailing guitar rifts or Seleznick's wild piano playing allows their listeners to form one conclusion about them: These guys are serious about their music. "I think it is obvious that everyone in the band comes from a different place," Perkinoff said. "People have put us in many genres, such as jam, jazz/funk and rock. I think we are all of these, but I would like people to see us as a unique entity." Pernikoff said he hopes that through utilizing different types of music they will be able to define their own style.

As they continue to seek that style, they also hope to create a new name for themselves ... literally. Over on the other side of Boston at Tufts University, rival band Red Shift 6 has been playing gigs for the last four years, and with their seniority over Brandeis' own Red Shift, fans of both bands have been confusing the two groups for each other. This has sent Phil, Pernikoff and the rest of the guys on a search for a new name for their band. "It's been an arduous process trying to find a new name and it sucks, but we've already been confused with Red Shift 6, so we felt if we wanted to proceed on our own merits we would need to change it," said bassist Park. Though both groups boast different styles of music, Red Shift wants their name to stand out from other bands, hoping to alleviate confusion and give their group more of an edge.

Yet, it will be the next two years, not their efforts to pick a new name, that will test the true talents of the band. "If we can make serious headway in the next two years, which means recording an album and playing many of the venues in Boston (basically if we become more popular), then I think we have a serious chance," Pernikoff said.

Park echoed this sentiment as well: "I see Red Shift or whatever we call ourselves going real far. I know we will be gigging everywhere and I feel that we have a newer sound right now so I feel like we can conquer Boston ... We're taking determination to the next level and hopefully our music shows this."

Undoubtedly, the band we all know today as Red Shift has come a long way since their humble beginnings. From acoustic guitar sessions in Chum's to performances all over Boston (their next big show is Feb. 25 at "The Midway" in Boston), the band has overcome some big obstacles, picking up an amazing sound and a large fan base along the way. They are even looking forward to the eventual possibility of being signed to a record deal. But, no matter what happens down the road, these guys know where they got their start -- right here at Brandeis.