When you look around on a Friday or Saturday night for something to do, what do you look for? You could look for a party or take a trip to one of Boston's many clubs. Maybe there's an a cappella performance on campus.
But how many people would answer that they would be going to see a campus rap group or punk rock band? Who can name more than five bands on campus that produce original music?
Enter Jordan Kolasinski and his brainchild, the Jumbo Audio Project. Kolasinski started the project after observing the rather boring landscape of Tufts music.
"The music scene on the Tufts campus consists mostly of frat DJs and a cappella groups," Kolasinski griped. "I don't think that original music gets the respect it deserves."
Anyone can see the truth in his words tacked up on every notice board around campus. The ads for live bands are few and far between, and the performances are rarely at prestigious events - alumni dinners and formal ceremonies are the exclusive domain of a cappella performers. Perhaps it would be inappropriate to have a rock band preside over a quiet evening of introspection, but such groups deserve some kind exposure that they're not getting. When searching for an evening of fun, students simply don't look to on-campus bands.
The rules governing the creation of the Jumbo Audio Project are few and simple, assuring that little-known musicians get a crack at being heard. First and foremost: all music must be original - no covers. Second, and almost as important: the goal is diversity. Each band gets to include one song, and the creators are trying to include every genre possible.
"There is more than just rap and rock out there," Kolasinski said, citing jam bands, Celtic music and "spoken word stuff I'm pretty excited about" as a few examples.
The final rule for potential submissions is that they must be pre-recorded. Though this could be a problem for some new bands, it is important in terms of shaving costs from the overall compilation.
The truth is that most people at Tufts don't know anything about the bands created by students unless they have a friend who plays for one of them. As the bassist for Red Shift Six, Kolasinski is well-qualified to comment on the music scene - the band won the Battle of the Bands last year and were voted Best Music Group in a Daily poll.
When it comes to popularity, however, Kolasinski cited longevity as a significant problem. Tufts' a cappella groups have been around for years and have already established names for themselves. Other musical groups are much more singular - since they write new music, they can't simply replace their members every four years. A junior who starts a band has only two years to build up a reputation, and that often isn't enough.
Kolasinki hopes that the completion of the Jumbo Audio Project will reverse this trend of apathy toward original on-campus music. "You never know what will end up becoming huge," Kolasinki said, citing several alums that have gone on to prestigious music careers. "The main driving force behind this is the desire to heighten the music scene on campus and provide exposure for talented Tufts musicians."
The songs will be chosen by an executive board consisting of five members, all involved in the Tufts music scene. The method for selecting the tracks has not been discussed, but one must assume that both quality as well as uniqueness of the music will be important factors.
The Jumbo Audio Project compilation should come out shortly after Spring Break. All interested bands must submit their pieces on or before March 1.
