Tufts has no shortage of quirky acronyms for quirky student groups, between TUSC (Tufts University Social Collective), SUCC (Stand-up Comedy Collective), TDC (Tufts Dance Collective), TMC (Tufts Mountain Club) and many more. What better name, then, for Tufts’ only street percussion group than BEATs (Bangin’ Everything At Tufts).
Daniella Rothstein, a sophomore who joined the group this fall, described the group rather simply: “[It’s] just fun making music in a group dynamic with very cool, inclusive people.”
She joined the group after seeing it advertised at the student organizations fair this fall. “They seemed like a very cool group of people, so I threw my name down on a whim,” she said. She described her reaction to the first email the group sent after the club fair: “I was like, oh, these guys are funny. It’s a very clever, subtle humor email.”
She added that her previous drumming experience supplemented her decision to audition: “I [thought] I can fit their vibe, and then [it's] also a hobby that I enjoy.”
A friend referred sophomore Luke Pautler to the group and told him about this same group dynamic. Unlike Rothstein, he came in without much drumming experience. Nonetheless, the casual atmosphere of the group drew him in. “I signed up and auditioned and seemed to love the people and the vibe, and it just seemed like a great thing,” Pautler said.
BEATs rehearses once a week, and Pautler described a typical rehearsal. “We show up to the Harleston basement, pull all our stuff out of the closet, just an incredible collection of … pans and bottles and all kinds of stuff, and we open up just kind of talking, catching up and also beginning to jam out a little bit and just kind of feel a groove.”After some casual pre-rehearsal jamming, the meeting begins by either learning a new song or reviewing something they’ve been working on.
Rothstein added that the group’s camaraderie is so strong that “every once in a while, people need to check in and be like, well, yeah, let’s get back to drumming.”
When learning new material, the group's music relies on the memories of past performances from older members. "None of our stuff is written down. It’s a lot of fun to pick stuff up and really have to talk through it and hear it with people," Pautler said.
Of the group dynamic, Rothstein described it as very supportive. “I think that there’s a lot of love between all the BEATs members,” she said. “It’s a nice combination of just people hanging out together, and then also growing together in a certain field.”
She added that the group is unique because everyone is laid-back and rejects any sort of cliquey dynamic.“Everyone talks to everyone, which is a really niche thing with a group this size … [everyone is] very just kind of light-hearted,” she said.
Despite only having been in the group for a few months, both Rothstein and Pautler repeatedly mentioned their love for the group and its members. Discussions of “cool people,” “a lot of fun” and overall good vibes dominated our conversation.
All this energy and love for percussion ultimately results in a passionate and engaging performance. BEATs' November performance at the sQ! a cappella show intermission was full of energy and fun, with enthusiastic shouts from members complementing highly stylized and practiced percussion. If you didn't get to see the group then or at its end of semester show just yesterday on Dec. 5, make sure to look out for more of BEATSs’ concerts in the spring! The group’s wide range of unconventional instruments allows it to truly, as the name suggests, bang on everything at Tufts.
