That’s a boring headline, but this year’s first showcase of student talent is The MASH, which brings 19 student bands, one faculty band, and one alumni band together to grace Wesleyan’s campus with their sweet tunes all afternoon this Friday.
UPDATE 9/11/15: The MASH is now INDOORS for the first time ever because this rain is the worst. The Olin stage is now in the first floor of Usdan. The CFA stage is now in Crowell Concert Hall. The North College stage is now in the ’92 Theater. The main stage on Foss is now also in Crowell. Can you mosh in Crowell?? Only time will tell. The post below is updated with how the schedule was at 3 a.m. this morning.
A couple weeks ago, I told you about what the music scene here is like. Tomorrow, you get to ~experience it,~ this time courtesy of the Center for the Arts. The fourth annual MASH is tomorrow, Sept. 11, from 2-7:30 p.m. 19 student bands, one faculty/admin band, and one very special alumni band are holding down the all-day festival this year. So now, instead of just roasting outside tomorrow afternoon, you can roast outside while listening to some cool music.
For the first three hours, there are three stages — one in front of Olin Memorial Library, one on the North College Lawn, and one in the CFA. For these three hours, you will have to choose where you want to go. After that’s done, everyone migrates to the main stage at the foot of Foss Hill, where Smokin’ Lillies, 5 Guys, Chef, and The Rooks close out the night.
The CFA’s info page as well as the facebook event have some pretty good information, and I have collected most of it here for you. It’s all organized by stage so that you can pick where to go in the first three-hour block. Everything in quotes is how the bands describe themselves, either to Wesleying or to the CFA.
Olin Library Stage First Floor of Usdan Stage
2-2:20 — Gee-rre
I have no idea what this will be like! This was a last-minute set change, I think, so neither I nor the CFA have information up about Gee-rre. It will be a pleasant surprise.
2:30-2:50 — Locus
Locus is Eric Poretsky ’18. He says, “Be ready to bop your head to some dance tunes.”
3-3:20 — Jal & Locus
The CFA page just says “Your grandma’s favorite rapper” and links to @jalthepoet. Jal is Sahil Singhvi ’18 and Locus is Eric Poretsky ’18.
3:30-3:50 — Mom
I almost didn’t see their form response because someone submitted ALL of the lyrics to “Uptown Funk” and it fucked up my spreadsheet. But, here we are! Mom formed last year and is Sam Friedman ’18, Ben Klausner ’18, and Jonah Wolfson ’17. They wrote: “we play some funky jams, we do some music and we do uptown funk. nothing more nothing less”. No website yet, but they said that they “will soon ; )”
4-4:20 — Quasimodal
Wesleyan’s oldest co-ed a cappella group has a treat 4 u. Quasimodal is Ryden Nelson ’16, Tiffany Gordon ’16, Lizzy Elliot ’16, Emma Buford ’16, Jane Levy ’17, Jamie Hom ’17, Zac Kraemer, Julia Tyminski ’17, Molly Bogin ’18, Katherine Paterson ’18, Sam Friedman ’18, and Rafael Orona ’18. Quasi says, “Our musical tastes run the gambit from R&B to indie pop, Fiona Apple to Yeezus. You’re gonna get a little of everything at this Mash performance.” You may have heard them at Sunday’s a cappella concert outside Usdan, BUT there’s also this YouTube playlist where you can listen to their stuff.
4:30-4:50 — Sneaky Sugars
According to the CFA, Sneaky Sugars is “[a] band. Plays indie rock music. Girl plays lead guitar. It’s cool.” They are Karina Caban ’18 (your girl guitarist, always my fav), Max Cembalest ’18, Ryan Guarino ’18, Mira Guth ’18, and Jack Maraghy ’18.
I just learned that their name is taken from this Nick commercial about those pesky glucose chains:
North College Stage ’92 Theater
2-2:20 — Ari & Arian
This was added literally on Thursday!
2:30-2:50 — Lo-Qi
This is Jack Graylin ’17 and Jonah Toussaint ’17. They play “delightfully rambunctious hip-hop; we got str8 political bangERS”. Cool! Their alternate self-description is: “Rap duo from Somerville and Switzerland. Here to denounce corporate oppression, systematic racism, and wack MC’s.”
They submitted these two Soundcloud pages but neither of them is for Lo-Qi as a unit? Here they are anyway.
3-3:20 — Kari Wild
Kari Wild also has no description on the CFA page. We have only a name and this one phrase on the MASH event page: “As smart and silky as your favorite dental floss ;)”
3:30-3:50 — Sleep Kid
Sleep Kid is “A sea-punk group of musicians and magicians.” Their EP My Electric Ghost is streaming 4 free on their Bandcamp, and you can listen to it below.
4-4:20 — Sloopy Coos Canyon
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These guys are fairly new, having formed only this spring! Sloopy Coos Canyon is Erin McGrath ’16, Nicole Roman-Johnston ’16, and Luke Macdonald ’17. They are “orange blood orange rock girls singing boy play drums feelings pleasant feelin gooood” and are formerly known as Naked Acid Wedding.
4:30-4:50 — Slavei
Slavei is Arian Dehnow ’16, Nadja Shannon-Dabek ’17, Ella Caplin ’18, Cassie Wilson ’17, Torie White ’16, Susannah Greenblatt ’16, Theo Sullivan ’16, Elliot Williams ’18, and Adam Ruth ’17. Since about 2005, they’ve been providing us with Georgian and Balkan folk a cappella music. They are “fun and loud and heartfelt and zingy. boom boom kaboosh!”
When I asked them if there were anything else they’d like us to include, they wrote, “please include pizza.”
Center for the Arts Stage Crowell Concert Hall
2-2:20 — Rui Barbosa
Rui Barbosa the man has an epic mustache. Rui Barbosa the band lacks in facial hair, but makes up for it with COOL JAMS of the funk/rock/jazz variety. They are Johnnie Gillmore ’18, Adam Rochelle ’17, and Jonah Wolfson ’17.
2:30-2:50 — Old Soles
Old Soles are “Just a couple gals that love harmonies and attempt to make acoustic arrangements.” They are Mira Guth ’18 and Eva Moskowitz ’18.
3-3:20 — Matt Chilton // Loop & Cylinder
Matt Chilton ’16 plays clarinets, flutes, PVC tubes, and uses a loop pedal to put it together. You can expect “Unearthly tube sounds woven together into textural loops, constructing and deconstructing dense woodwind atmospheres, weaving through with improvisations.” You can listen to “improvs and sketches” on his Soundcloud.
3:30-3:50 — Veeblefetzer (aka The Wesleyan Klezmer Band)
Veeblefetzer
Veeblefetzer has been around for a few years and is Matthew Stein ’16, Angus Macdonald ’16, Sophie Breitbart ’16, Matt Chilton ’16, Josh Davidoff ’18, Ben Klausner ’18, and Becky Zegans ’18. “Veeblefetzer performs Eastern European Jewish folk music, American klezmer music, and Yiddish songs. With beautiful modal melodies and fast, exciting rhythms, get ready to laugh, cry, and dance – each of our performances is a simkhe!”
4-4:20 — SAD
SAD stands for “Socially Awkward Degenerates” and is Chris Sailor ’16, Delilah Seligman ’16, and Becca Hanschell ’16. They wrote:
our music has been described as a mix of old school emo and new school post-rock. many have said that they were reminded of their childhood memories and subsequently cried. our performances are known to elicit the feelings you had when you were 16 and in love and then got your heart smashed into your guitar strings. come see us if you want to nod your awkwardly to some rad tunes!
I love nodding my head awkwardly. That is my dance move of choice. Apparently they might also have cake?
4:30-4:50 — Swipe Right
Swipe Right is “A band with nothing to lose.” I think they do both originals and covers but I have no more information than this. They’ve played with MFDP before, if that helps.
Foss Hill Crowell Concert Hall (Main Stage)
5-5:20 — Smokin’ Lillies
This is the faculty/admin band everyone loves: Smokin’ Lillies is Dean Louise Brown, Professor Rob Rosenthal, Luanne Benshimol, Evan Glass, Paul Horton, and President Michael Roth himself on keys.
5:30-5:50 — 5 Guys
They are, indeed, five guys — seniors Ethan Hill, Angus Macdonald, Nick Selden, Delaine Winn, and Leo Grossman.
6-6:20 — Chef
Chef is a band of all juniors — Henry Kinder, Isaac Butler-Brown, Miles McLeod, Anthony Dean, Adam Rochelle, Annie Flom, Lydia Elmer, Mimi Goldstein, Willie Molski, and Max Luton. They play “Some Hip-Hop/Funk/Soul jamz.” Their Bandcamp page is here. (They’re also playing a show at Art/Music House next Friday, September 18.) Their newest single, “Blockhead,” is below.
6:30-7:30 — The Rooks
The CFA writes:
A transplant from the Wesleyan University music scene, the band has spent the last three years making noise across New York City and the greater Northeast. Featuring Garth Taylor ’12 on lead vocals; Spencer Hattendorf ’12 on vocals, saxophone, and percussion; Nate Mondschein ’12 on drums and percussion; Grahm Richman ’11 on guitar; Louis Russo ’11 on bass, and Gabe Gordon ’11 on keyboards.
The Rooks are, in fact, a Wesleying favorite — Gabe interviewed them in 2013 a year after they all graduated, and Goodz interviewed them later that year after seeing them at Middlebury. Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02 even loves them. This is their second show back at the good ol’ alma mater, and it’s basically guaranteed to be a good time.
That’s tomorrow’s lineup! If I got something wrong or you just want to express yourself, do so in the comments below.