ROCKIN' THE SCENE

Undergraduates are rocking to the beat of a different drum these days, according to campus rock, funk and punk fans.

Student bands have proliferated in the last year at Harvard, playing in local pubs and gaining publicity along the way. And many already boast a devoted fan following.

"Last year and the year before no one went to see Harvard bands play clubs," says Meg H. Gleason '94, a faithful fan of the group Hot Spanky Porpoise. "Now it is a new social option."

Some members of campus bands attribute the heightened interest to their diverse musical offerings.

"Last year there weren't so many bands," siad Eric J. Pitt '93, drummer for Hot Spanky Porpoise. "This year it's crazy."

And Marc J. Dinkin '94 says despite popular misconception, students want more than the usual a cappella or classical music options.

"People fear that Harvard students want to hear just classical music or something less grungy than rock," he says. "But once a scene began on campus, people started up bands because they knew people would listen to them."

Hot Spanky Porpoise was one of those bands to burst onto the scene this year. The group quickly became a favorite with students, placing second in last week's Battle of the Bands at the Black Rose pub.

"They really have a following," says Mike Tallon, manager of the bar. "They're very, very talented. They've got a horn good horn section."

Because there so many talented bands here, Tallon says he will probably hold another battle of the bands next Fall and has already reserved Thursday nights for college bands.

Long Road to Stardom

Most band members will tell you that it is a long road from the first jam session to a packed concert before hundreds of screaming fans on a Saturday night.

"Our drummer disappeared a couple of days before our first gig," recounts Michael D. Preston '95 of the band Flowbie. "We called every drummer on campus. The first time we played together was an hour before the gig and it was kind of a nightmare."

Wayward members aside, musicians say the College offers little in way of formal support for the scene.

Indeed, Harvard pales in comparison to Tufts and Brown University, which members say actively encourages a rock music atmosphere.

"This campus is lame in terms of opportunities for playing," Preston says. "Harvard doesn't seem to foster a band community."

The bands on campus must make do with a limited number of practice rooms that have microphones and drum sets. Most are limited to a few hours of practice a week in the basement of Dunster House.

"There is no practice space, no places to play," says Douglas M. Demay '94, guitarist for Fat Day.

But Demay says student bands will not continue to go unrecognized. This fall, Demay founded the Harvard Independent Music Society, whose purpose is "to encourage the Harvard Band scene."

"We needed a campus group to represent the bands," Demay says. "It should establish the rock scene at Harvard as a valid art form."

Demay says the society, which received a $350 Undergraduate Council grant will help bands to record their music in sound studios in the Quad and find places to play on campus.

A dual concert by Fat Day and Betty Please in Adams House last night was the society's first official event.

Demay says the society is even putting together a compilation compact disk of 14 original songs written by seven campus bands.

And according to Tallon at the Black Rose, this disc might be worth buying.

"I didn't realize there was that amount of talented bands in college," he says.

Fame, Fortune and Groupies

With fame comes fortune. Well, almost.

According to many members, a band can earn about $300-$800 per gig.

Still, members insist money is not the real reason they play in a band. "We do it for the thrill of playing," Preston says. "That's all you really need."

Very few expect profits to supplement their college tuition.

"We're not trying to get rich through this," Pitt says. "We are more likely to go buy beer."

While members say that they now perform for a number of different reasons, all agree that they are addicted to the stage.

"I love performing in front of people," says Aaron J. Snow '93, co-lead singer of The Press. "Having people dance and cheer to a song you wrote is a great feeling."

Jessica D. Thompson '93, the lead singer for Spanking Venus, agreed that singing to a live audience is a rush.

"It's really fun to perform," Thompson says. "To get up and do what you love to do, that's just a buzz."

And some say music is their way of escaping the stress of academic life here. "It is definitely a release," Thompson says. "Singing for me is the biggest outlet of all."

For others, perhaps, there's always the allure of hitting it big.

"I would love to be like Mick Jagger," says Olliver P. Strauch '93-'94 of Betty Please. "Man, he's 50 years old and he's still playing."

Most students, though, say they had very little experience playing in bands before coming to college.

"None of us had ever played the instruments we were playing," says Demay. "My roommate had a guitar and he taught me a few things, the power chords. He's my mentor."

Other bands began completely by chance.

Leif T. Simonson '93, bassist for Goat Boy, says a student who lived across the hall from him was jamming with two of his friends.

"It was in the very early stages of freshman week and I decided that I could play as well as these guys," he says. "So I picked up a bass guitar and started to play with them."

Ever since their modest beginnings, though, many of Harvard's bands have had a little taste of stardom--and they have the groupies to prove it.

Most fans are friends or acquaintances of members. But a few band members recall being approached by complete strangers.

"I was once introduced to someone, and they said, 'Oh, wait. You're Jenny Thompson from Spanking Venus,'" Thompson says. "That was great."

Jenea M. Boshart '95 denies being a crazed fan but says she has "been labelled as a groupie by many." She and her friend Erica D. Sherman '95 memorized all of the songs on The Press's first album and asked members to autograph a copy of the recording.""

"They call us number 1 and number 2, because we are their top two fans," says Boshart, who adds that her attraction to the members was based "strictly on music."

Members say they love the attention.

"We thought it was great," says Ronald A. Fein '94, bassist for The Press. "We love them."

Whether it's nudity or homogeneity that turns the fans on, members say they have their own styles.

"There is a rumor to the fact that I take off a lot of clothing on stage," Demay says. "I really get into it. We like to flail our arms, hit each other, hit audience members, throw things, jump into the crowd. There are no rules."

The Press was once known for its crisp look of white shirts and ties. "We used to wear white shirts, ties, and pants," Snow says. "It was an image that people would remember. They would say, "Oh yeah, they're the band with the ties and shirts."

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

But despite the relative success, many of the bands have encountered, very few members expect rock and roll to become their professional career.

"I would love to pursue a singing career, but I really don't know," Thompson says. "I'm not going to wipe tables in New York for two years and do it that way. I'm not trying to seek a recording contract."

Pitt says he refused to search for gigs in Boston because of time constraints.

"We are not doing this to further our careers," Pitt says.

Graduation means the dissolution of the band for most students.

"The hardest part of these bands is staying together," says Tallon who, since coming to the Black Rose 16 months ago, says he has watched countless bands split up. "People go to Harvard to graduate and go on in life. Music is an aside," he says.

Pitt says the members of Hot Spanky Porpoise have decided not to continue the band once they graduate. But for many fans, that is a disappointment.

"That is a real shame," says William W. Minton '95, who follows the band closely. "They should give it a second thought."

'I would love to be Mick Jagger. Man, he's 50 years old and he's still playing.'

OLLIVER P. STRAUCH '93-'94