Hep Alien of Gilmore Girls fame is one of the great onscreen bands of all time, not only because of their talents but because of the work the show put in to chart their evolution from high school students messing around to talented enough they could tour extensively. Even though Zack, Brian, Lane, Dave (the very missed after he was stolen by The OC Adam Brody) and later Gil, started as a rag tag group of high school students messing around with covers at the local music shop, they eventually became a locally known band making trips down the Eastern Seaboard in a packed and smelly band. It isn’t unbelievable that the only gigs they can get early in their history are children’s birthday parties or Kyle’s illicit kegger. At one point they didn’t even have a name when performing, which rings true to how thrown together a band’s beginnings can be. There are few original songs in their stable, but the covers they choose are done wonderfully and confidently by kids with a passion for music. By the end of the show, they survive through a middle of the night cancelled CBGB’s show and various band romances to become a legitimate band with the longevity to amass a fan following of sorts. Their place in the TV bands pantheon is deserved not only due to their considerable talents but the believable and significant transformation they went through over seven seasons.
– Whitney McIntosh