On March 31, six of Tufts' best bands will rock out at the Battle of the Bands competition in Hotung Caf?©, vying for the illustrious honor of opening this year's Spring Fling. Past spring flings have featured high-profile bands like Reel Big Fish and the Barenaked Ladies, while this year's headlining act will be Guster.
The chance to open for big-name bands does not present itself very often, but every year Concert Board gives six groups - each of which must be composed of at least one Tufts student - the opportunity to do just that. The deadline for applying is today, after which the board will select the bands that get to play 15-minute sets at the Battle of the Bands.
This year, Concert Board co-chairman Dan Aaronson is not only involved in the administrative end of things - his band is taking part in the competition as well. Aaronson - who will not be permitted to take part in Concert Board's voting process - and his band, Redshift 6, have their eyes set on opening Spring Fling.
Six students comprise Redshift 6: Aaronson on keyboards, sophomore Adam Ross on bass, sophomore Todd Scalia on percussions, sophomore Conor Sheehan, junior Keith Silliman on guitar, and sophomore Charles Thornton on drums. According to the band, its music consists of a mix drawing from everything. The band especially enjoys playing long-improvised jam sessions during its spare time. "We draw from a lot of different types of music such as rock, jazz, and funk, and nothing can really describe our musical style fully," Sheehan said.
Redshift 6 began last year with former hallmates Sheehan, Scalia, and Silliman. After jamming in Hill Hall, they found they played well together. Soon after, Aaronson - Silliman's close friend and jamming buddy - and Ross joined the trio. Together they fine-tuned their collective sound and eventually found a drummer with the addition of Thornton.
The band put together a demo that contains four original tracks, including the its favorite, "Boo' Urns," and a cover song of the Allman Brothers' classic "Jessica." In the future, Redshift 6 hopes to expand to venues beyond Tufts to spread its unique tones.
"We hope to start playing more in bars and off-campus locations," Sheehan said.
As far as Spring Fling goes, Redshift 6 knows the competition is stiff - many of the bands it's up against consist of some brilliant musicians outside of Tufts. Still, Sheehan is confident. "We've been around since last year, we work really hard, and we feel that we have a desire to win it," he said.
Redshift 6 will find itself up against Chapman Field Drive, a band that consists of the vocals of Sara Zelle, senior Jeff Rakofsky on drums, senior Mike Liebman on keyboard, Matt Weinscall on guitar, and David Fisher on bass.
Rakofsky said the band would ordinarily fall into the pop-rock genre; modern rock groups such as U2, Bruce Springsteen, and Journey influence the band's musical sensibilities.
Rakofsky, Weinscall, and Fisher came to the Boston area from Miami looking to start a band. Rakofsky then met keyboardist Leibman, and underwent a brief search that produced lead singer Zelle.
According to Rakofsky, Chapman Field Drive strives to create songs that relate to its members or their experiences. Band members contribute their own ideas and often, songs end up taking a new direction altogether. The band also intends to produce tunes that crowds can readily pick up, or "hum along to."
If they make it to Spring Fling, it may be one of Chapman Field Drive's last gigs - the band may split up after graduation. Rakofsky attributes the potential break-up to "different professional aspirations." However, the members all hope to continue making and playing music after college, and a few want to pursue careers in music.
For now, though, Rakofsky is excited about the chance to open for Guster, not only because of a potential brush with fame, but also because of the opportunity to extend Chapman Field Drive's music to a larger venue. Rakofsky feels that a large Spring Fling crowd would generate a far more professional feeling for the band.
"Spring Fling is a great opportunity for Tufts musical groups in that it gives them a professional outlet for their talents and love," he said.
Hickory Stew, another band in the running to reach the finalist pool, plays a mixture of Irish and traditional American music, with senior Mike Dupuy on guitar, Patrick Merry on the Uilleann pipes (the bag pipes), and senior Addie Holland on the fiddle.
According to band members, Hickory Stew plays a genre of music that isn't very popular on American college campuses, but has found a strong and steady fan base at Tufts for the past three years. The Crafts House is one of the band's favorite venues - most of their fans can be found at gigs there.
Dupuy said that while most people would not recognize the songs the band plays by name, it has accustomed many listeners to some old-time melodies and lyrics. Dupuy was first introduced to Irish music by Merry; the two usually ate breakfast together freshman year. It took a while to pick up the traditional style, but Dupuy now "backs" Merry's Uilleann pipes and Holland's fiddle with confidence. The band arranges music that may be hundreds of years old, formulating its own unique style.
As for the future, Dupuy said that if he knew the band's plans, he wouldn't have any worries. After graduation, Holland is moving to western Massachusetts, so the band may change its composition and even its name.
Opening for Spring Fling excites the members of Hickory Stew, since they would play a large outdoor venue. "It would be a big mistake if we were not chosen...we are the best traditional band ever," Dupuy boasted. Surprisingly, the band is excited to have the chance to "open for a hip-hop band," namely, Jurssic 5, slated to play immediately following the Tufts band at Spring Fling.
Audition tapes can be submitted to the campus center info desk today. Traditionally, around 20 bands audition, and the board has received 15 to 20 tapes so far this year, according to Aaronson.
Concert Board looks for a variety of characteristics in finding a band to open Fling. "We look for good vocals, good lyrics, good instrumentation, good solos, [and] the overall presentation of the band," Aaronson said. "There's no one thing that we're looking for...ultimately, we're looking for whoever puts on the best show."
After today's deadline, Concert Board will hold a listening session, during which it hears parts of each tape and takes a hand vote on whether the band should be included in the finalist pool. The six bands in the pool then play the Battle of the Bands, where five Concert Board members rate them and decide upon a winner.
With Aaronson and other members of Concert Board participating in the competition, the voting process was changed this year. Usually, Concert Board's executive staff ranks the Battle of the Bands sets, but this year, random board members will be pulled into the process to replace Aaronson and keep the voting general.
"Even though we trust members of executive board, we didn't want any conflicts of interest," Aaronson said.
