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Great bands are born at Connecticut College

February 08, 2008

Nearly every day for almost two decades, the modest pine green walls of a little barn on the Connecticut College campus have been vibrating with the sounds of campus bands. Walk by one day, and you might be treated to a mini-concert by the nine-member ska group "Great Skaught." Or you could feel the urge to sway to the folk stylings of "Swingers and Tramps" or rock out to classic hits performed by "Dino Inc."

The barn, with high ceilings and a second-level balcony that make it an intimate concert venue, is home turf of MOBROC (Musicians Organized for Bands' Rights on Campus), a student-run support organization for campus musicians that provides member bands with access to practice space, a full sound system and a place to store instruments.

More than that, group president Harry MacKenzie '09 said, MOBROC is a network of musicians who share knowledge, resources and opportunities.

Rich Abate '09, guitarist for "Great Skaught," said MOBROC was one of the main reasons he applied to Connecticut College. "I don't think I'd be able to play in a band on campus without MOBROC," he said. "There's the practice space and the storage space - but more importantly, it brings musicians together and makes it really easy to get a band started. A lot of my musician friends from home wish they had a program like this at their colleges."

Abate and the rest of the band - Kaity Lawler '09, Ben Gitkind '09, Kevin Bergin '10, Nick Clifford '09, Davis McGraw '10, Kim McCabe '07, Peter Linton '09, Eric George LeFlore '11, David Gongshow Castillo '09 and MacKenzie - played together in smaller groups before forming "Great Skaught" this year.

"It's convenient that we're all really good friends, so the band itself is a big part of our social lives," Abate said. "It's hard managing the schedules of nine people, but we all love the band so we make time for it."

Like most MOBROC bands, "Great Skaught" performs often, both on and off campus. Recently, the band performed at the grand opening of Eclectic Wear in downtown New London and at a benefit event for Asayo's Wish, a national charity for children who have been orphaned by war and AIDS. MOBROC bands also perform monthly in the college's student center.

MOBROC has been a part of campus life at Connecticut College since the early 1990s. Originally, bands practiced in Abbey House, a residential living space. Recognizing that serious musicians need space truly dedicated to their needs, the college then converted a former squash court into a permanent practice and storage space.

Since then, Connecticut College has been a comfortable home for many gifted musicians. Some notables include Alec Ounsworth '00, Lee Sargent '00, Robbie Guertin '02, Tyler Sargent '00 and Sean Greenhalgh '02 - members of the immensely popular indie rock group "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" - and Gerard Egan '01, Dave Godowsky '02 and Drew Thurlow '01 of "Mr. Brownstone," the successful "Guns N' Roses" tribute band.

Talented musicians continue to burst through the barn doors, and anyone interested in jamming out is encouraged to join. MOBROC is open to all students, whether joining as a band or a solo act. The organization also works to bring together individuals in search of a band or band mates.

"Any instrument can be worked in to someone's band," MacKenzie said. "One of the bands this year has a violin player and an ukelele player - and it works."

- By Areti Sakellaris '08

For more information contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu