Love Hurts band expo to address Valentine's Day woes

The music scene at Vassar is dominated by Vassar Student Association (VSA) organizations: ViCE, No-Vice, Vice Jazz and VCPunx all do a great job bringing a variety of bands to school. What's missing, says Sam Caravaglia '12, is the regular input of campus bands. Although some groups do facilitate student bands, such as VCPunx, the emphasis is largely on bringing outside artists to campus. "Getting shows together here is really hard because you have to work through campus organizations who don't prioritize student musicians."

Taking matters into his own hands, Caravaglia chose to try a different approach. "I decided to talk to the Lathrop House Team, and they were all very excited about hosting a dorm show in the [Multi-Purpose Room (MPR)]," he said. The product of the collaboration is "Love Hurts," a pre-Valentine's Day celebration of indie pop for the lovelorn.

"There are a lot of different shades of rock going on in the line-up," Caravaglia said. Five groups are booked for the show, including student bands Bathtub Sailors and The Facts and Figures. Filling out the line-up are Devin and the Little Angels, Mother Courage (both from Brooklyn), and Jack and the Jaywalkers, who hail from State University of New York, Purchase.

The Facts and Figures is made up of Ben Conant '12, Andy Dymond '12, Rickie Goldman '12, Erik Snow '12 and Jackson Pynchon '13. "Our sound is hard to pin down, since our influences range from classic rock to electronica to Modest Mouse," said Goldman, who plays the saxophone and sings.

Four of the members contribute vocals, creating distinctive harmonization. "They're very lyrically driven," said Caravaglia. "Most of us have been playing together for going on two years," said Goldman. "We've just started recording some of our songs."

Bathtub Sailors is composed of Caravaglia, Katie Lau '12, Jared Kaner '11 and James Logue '12. "We're going through a growth spurt right now," said Caravaglia. "We're transitioning from atmospheric indie to dancier music."

Both groups are quite familiar with the location of their next show, as both use the basement of Lathrop as a practice space. It is not an ideal situation, according to Goldman: "The acoustics of the basement drastically distort our perception of our own sound. Every noise bounces back at you."

Finding adequate practice space has been a challenge for the Bathtub Sailors and The Facts and Figures, both of whom used to regularly rehearse in Matthew's Mug. With Aramark's recent acquisition of the Mug, the future of this acoustically desirable practice space remains up in the air.

Still, Caravaglia and Goldman intend to continue their musical work with full force.

"We're going to find a way to rehearse no matter what," Caravaglia said. "But the Mug will just be going unused. It's like having to beg for a loaf of bread when there's a cake in the fridge."

But for the moment, Caravaglia is focused on putting on a great concert.
Caravaglia came to Vassar from Brooklyn, where he was a member of a vibrant local music scene. He used to play in bands with members of Devin and the Little Angels as well as Mother Courage, and those two came to mind when he started thinking about organizing an indie rock show.

Devin Therriault, of Devin and the Little Angels, describes his music as a synthesis of '60s girl-group The Shangri-La's and "the raw power of Iggy Pop on his finest death trip." Pop music wouldn't exist without heartbreak, and Therriault said that he and the Little Angels are the perfect fit for a concert whose theme is "Love Hurts." "We're singing all the sweetness of betrayal and true romance," he said.

Mother Courage is a five-piece rock band from Brooklyn, and this is their first foray into academia. "We've never played a college before," said Oliver Kalb, the group's singer, songwriter and electric-acoustic guitar player. "Usually we play in Bushwick. Sometimes we get a gig in Manhattan, if we're lucky."

Kalb is influenced by The Velvet Underground, Neil Young, The Beach Boys and Elliott Smith. "My goal is to write really excellent and memorable pop songs," Kalb said. "I try to represent the tone of my life to other people through my songs, as honestly as I can. It gets complicated when you're writing about other people. Keeping in touch with other people is even more difficult than keeping in touch with yourself."

Kalb's feelings about Valentine's Day are ambivalent at best. "It's a weird holiday," he said. "There's so much obligation attached to it. If you have a lady, you've gotta take her out, pay attention to her. If you don't have a lady, you better get a lady, or you're just out in the cold."

Goldman was more concise: "It's a fucking Hallmark holiday, man," he said. "If you've got people you love, you ought to tell them you love them every day." "Love Hurts" will take place in the Lathrop MPR from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13. Bring a date, dance out your loneliness or maybe find your 2010 valentine. For all their anti-Valentine's-Day rhetoric, musicians are old softies. Snatch one up before it's too late.