Vassar Student Band Union kicks off inaugural semester

Last Thursday, the Vassar Student Band Union (VSBU) kicked off the year with a show of epic proportions. There were light effects, three high-energy rock ‘n' roll bands and a huge crowd of students busting sick moves. That's not even to mention the latest, state of the art 3-D glasses that amplified the whole experience tenfold. Perhaps the best part, however, was the fact that the show kept it close to home: each set included real, organic Vassar talent.

"I think the great turnout and overall success of the 3-D show demonstrates how committed [the VSBU] is to reppin' Vassar's bands," said Mara Connor '13, VSBU member and vocalist for the show's opening act. Connor is a testament to the organization's goal to help aspiring musicians: "Last year, before VSBU existed, Vassar bands like my own, Shark Wrangler, had a really hard time finding a place to play our music," she said.  

This year, after merging with Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE), the VSBU has big plans to book as many gigs as possible to showcase bands on campus. Because the organization effectively took over After Hours, upcoming shows will include more upbeat pop and rock bands as well as singer/songwriters. The VSBU simply aims to provide a performance outlet for all types of student musicians, whether a loud, five-piece indie band or a single guitarist.

"The next show will be ‘Light up Your Life' on the [residential] quad. It's going to be an open-mic, acoustic kind of thing," said VSBU co-founder and student musician Andy Diamond ‘12. "There's going to be blankets on the ground, hot cocoa and Christmas lights."

In October, the VSBU will host what Diamond refers to as a "Zombie Show," which promises to be a hit: "We're going to do a rock show for Halloween in which bands will dress up as dead bands and play covers of their songs," he said.

Last year, the VSBU took the music scene off campus by booking gigs at Zorona's Hookah Bar and Baby Cakes. Though that type of show is definitely still in the works this year, the VSBU wants to keep things near the home base at first. "Right now, since we're an official organization, we're focusing on on-campus stuff because those events are easier for students to access," said Diamond.

In addition to supplying students with opportunities to perform, the VSBU also wants to arrange a better practice space. "In the past, we've had to resort to playing in Joss [Josselyn House]'s sketchy basement as our fellow students wandered in and out of our ‘practice space' to do their laundry," explained Connor. Other students must fight for a slot practicing in the oft-booked and inconvenient Matthew's Mug. To remedy the situation, the VSBU has suggested several potential practice areas to the Vassar Student Association (VSA).

"There's an empty office on the third floor of Rocky [Rockefeller Hall] with enough room for at least a five-piece band," Diamond explained. "There's also a place in the College Center called the non-traditional student's lounge. It's always locked, I've never seen anyone in there and it actually used to be a band space. It's our main candidate right now," he said.

"We're offering to use our funding, plus a little bit of extra funding to sound-proof whatever room we get so it won't be a nuisance to other people," said Diamond.

Once the VSBU gets hold of some practice space, the next step is equipment. "We've proposed getting some middle to low-end stuff—stuff that does the job but isn't too valuable," said Diamond. "We want to buy a PA [public address], so that if there's a synthesizer, if there's a vocalist, or even two back up vocalists, you can mic all of them," he added.

One of the main reasons for the conception of the VSBU was the general shortage of student resources on campus. By approaching the situation with a Do-It-Yourself mindset, the organization can set their own rules. "Students should be more proactive about making and supporting the kind of music they want to hear," said Ricky Goldman '12, VSBU member and saxophonist for student band Facts and Figures. "So many outside groups are brought in, some at a really significant expense to the College. I think that channeling that money more towards student initiative would be a comparable way to spend our funds."

In order to bring together and organize student talent, the VSBU created an online musician's database and information center. The website includes updates on VSBU upcoming events, an extensive list of musicians, their instruments of expertise, what they're interested in playing and how to contact them, as well as a new "gig section."

"The gig section allows us to get e-mails from organizations on campus that are looking for bands to play at their events," said Diamond. Right now on the site, there is a list of such organizations and their events, paired with contact info for the interested bands.

"The website has made me more aware of the real scope of musical performing artists that are actually on campus," said Goldman. "I now know exactly what people play and how good they are."

With a growing list of musicians in its online database, as well as a stellar turnout at its inaugural show, VSBU has cultivated  a devoted and enthusiastic following.

"Vassar was screaming for an organization to come along with the sole purpose of showcasing the talent of its very own students," said Connor.