Thursday, December 3, 1998
Band Night helps aspiring musicians come together
MUSIC: UCLA students share interest in rock at impromptu jam
session
By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Contributor
Tired of listening to the same old recycled stuff on the radio?
If you’ve got an itching desire to get out and hear some music
played by actual, living, breathing musicians, and you’re not
looking to fork over any of your hard earned cash, you can give
Band Night a try this Friday.
Put together by the UCLA Music Club, the event is designed to
spotlight UCLA bands and offers aspiring musicians a place to jam
together.
"It gives people a chance to see new music for free," says Adam
Benitez, one of the night’s organizers.
This is the third showcase hosted by the music club, which put
on two similar shows last year. The most recent event brought a
crowd of 75, and the club hopes that this latest incarnation, which
has been more heavily advertised, will bring even more. Beginning
with performances from several local bands, the night will
culminate in an open jam session at which all participants are
welcome.
The evening is to be the highlight of the music club’s
quarter-long efforts to unite like-minded musicians. Meeting once a
week in Kerckhoff Hall, the club does not limit itself to any
particular genre, but is primarily rock oriented.
In its get-togethers, members discuss new developments in
popular music, plan outings to clubs and concerts, share demo
tapes, and play instruments together. The majority of its members
are guitar enthusiasts, but past meetings have seen performances
from artists who play instruments as diverse as violins and
bagpipes.
These weekly jams allow musicians to come up with new ideas by
playing with other kindred spirits.
"It’s like a stepping stone to development," says Helen Parish,
another organizer and leader of the club.
Also an avid music fan and guitarist, Parish participated in
previous shows. She has been putting together meetings in her spare
time from her position as a research associate in the atmospheric
sciences department.
Band Night is an extension of the club’s weekly efforts and will
hopefully garner some recognition for the participants.
"It’s giving some people a chance to play who wouldn’t have
normally been able to," Parish says.
The performance atmosphere allows for a richer experience than
would come from an aimless jam in a garage.
First up on the concert stage will be Astral, an alternative duo
comprised of UCLA students Ben Weiner and Arthur Lee. Weiner, a
second-year English student, provides guitar and vocals, while Lee,
a fifth-year psychobiology student, plays keyboards and guitars
while also singing.
Citing influences such as The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins and
Radiohead, the two have been playing together for seven months;
they met one another through the Music Club. Astral has also
performed under the name Enraptured, which was rejected for their
current label, and which Lee described as being inspired by a
"spiritual eastern thing."
"I had a lot of fun," Weiner says of his previous experience
with Band Night.
The music club seems to be a common meeting ground for band
members. Benitez, also the guitarist, vocalist and harmonica player
for Cheap Thrills, another returning band, has met his entire group
through the club. When their original bassist departed, they found
another through club meetings.
The current line up’s sound has been described as folk-rock, but
they have influences as diverse as old favorites like Bob Dylan and
The Beatles, as well as contemporary influences Nirvana and
Sublime.
Cheap Thrills and Astral are only a few of the UCLA bands that
have appeared in past band nights. Other featured acts include
Earth, Wind & Flower, The Press and solo performers. This year
features band performance times of slightly under half an hour. It
will give stage time to five bands which also include The Planet
Killers (from Loyola Marymount), and two more UCLA entries, Just
Once and Diamond Heist.
Diamond Heist, a self-described "melodic rock band," borrows its
sound from a variety of elements ranging from Dire Straits-like
classic rock to discordant ’90s pop.
The trio also brings along a healthy sense of humor with their
instruments. The group’s website, a tongue-in-cheek profile, offers
deep insight into the band’s character.
Lead vocalist and bass player Dave Pavlina claims to be a former
porn star prone to exposing himself onstage and eschews the label
of "singer," preferring "male vocal artist."
Guitarist Michael Constantini’s biography lists him as a former
childhood star of "Different Strokes," who plans to break into the
acting business again one day. Dan Cutting spends most of his time
as the group’s drummer, but is also interested in "exploring all of
the musical possibilities of the jew’s-harp."
Once the performance section of the evening has been completed,
audience members can feel free to join in. This massive interactive
session proved to be one of the highlights of the past events, with
groups spontaneously forming to jam together. There are no
auditions; all attendees are invited to contribute.
"If someone’s burning to play and they have an instrument,
they’re welcome," Parish laughs.
MUSIC: Band Night is on Dec. 4, from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the
Kerckhoff Grand Salon. There is no charge for admission. For more
information, contact Helen Parish at [email protected] Music
Club
Guitarist Helen Parish and her band play at last year’s Band
Night, presented by the UCLA Music Club.
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