The double drums pounded like under on Malcolm X Plaza as the sun tried to peek through the translucent clouds on Feb. 6. The drums in their persistent beats were the sounds of passion taking the form of music from the band Forrest Day.

Students scurried quickly past the stage to try to make it to class on time, but curiosity got the best of some of them as they stopped and tapped their feet to the melodious beats.

The eight-piece band, whose front man self-titled the band after his own name, Forrest Day, said he certainly has music on his brain. To some people, music is simply a hobby. For others, it is a lifetime of struggles for success. For Day, 27, he said the latter has definitely been the case.

“Playing music is what I am supposed to be doing,” Day said. “When I play in front of a crowd and they are screaming my own lyrics back at me, I know this is my calling.”

Day said that he has always been a lover of music and its roots. With both of his grandmothers having been intertwined in the San Francisco Jazz music scene, it was not hard for him, with his fiery zeal for music, to follow the same path. He is a Bay Area music kid, he said, and this is where he found the talent to put together Forrest Day the band.

Day sings lead vocals and plays the saxophone and keyboards. Other instruments, like the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, tenor sax, baritone sax and percussion make up the rest of Forrest Day’s voluminous sound.

“I wanted to put together a monster eight-piece where the music would come off as an undeniable, thick wall of thunderous sound that amazed people,” Day said.

His music does not fit into a specific genre, and he said if he had to describe it, the sound would be an experimental mix of indie rap with reggae and jazz influences. People just have to hear it and they can decide for themselves whether or not they like it, he added.

Nick Wyner, 26, who was studying film at SF State but is now heading for the music program, plays the keyboard and sings back-up vocals for the band. He said that the success they have had with the music is encouraging enough to keep focused on the Forrest Day project. He added that having Forrest as the leader of the band makes it easy to stay motivated.

“It’s a pretty remarkable group of guys. Since it is such a big band it is easy to have conflicting personalities,” Wyner said. “But we all trust Forrest, he is the captain of our ship, the solo writer of the music and this is his project, but he‘s letting us share his dream.”

Forrest Day began in 2005, when Day was producing rap beats in Oakland. He began writing music and lyrics and then put the band together shortly thereafter. The band played its first show at the Element Lounge in San Francisco and Day said that the turnout was unbelievable for a new band. He said he knew that San Francisco, full of progressive minds and artsy personalities, would embrace the band’s unique niche.

“We have really tried to pay attention to San Francisco. Plus we are all locals,” Day said, “but it has paid off, because now our shows are beginning to sell out.”

Jeremy Kreager, 27, who owns a window tinting business in Sebastopol and takes a class at SF State once a week, is an avid Forrest Day fan and watched them perform at SF State on Feb. 6. He also tried to catch them at Café Du Nord on Market Street on Feb. 7, but said the venue was sold out.

“I have been following Forrest Day for the last couple of years,” Kreager said. “Their message is so positive and geared towards the grassroots aspect of music, it’s hard not to love them.”

Forrest Day’s next show will be at the Red Devil Lounge on Polk Street on Feb. 26, before the band hits the road in June for a tour through Seattle, Utah, Idaho and Colorado. More information about Forrest Day can be found the band’s MySpace page.