Rockin'. Sexy. Dangerous.
These are the words that define The Day Jobs?or at least those are the words they use to define themselves. Before heading to Long Island for band bonding over Fall Break, sophomores Zach Tcheyan, Harry Schnur, Jamil Wyne, and Jeff Friedlander took the time to sit down, talk about their music, and ruin their appetites with nothing less dangerous than pumpkin fudge.
"We all love to eat," Friedlander said of him and his band mates. Though their specific tastes may not quite match (Schnur can't get enough of Moulton's Honolulu Tofu, while Tcheyan will "skip class for cheese steaks"), Friedlander insists that "nothing brings The Day Jobs together like a good meal."
But a common appeal for everything culinary was not what initially brought The Day Jobs together. Oddly enough, the band was inspired by its name, instead of the other way around. Connected by a love of music, Schnur and Tcheyan made fast friends on their Pre-Orientation trip. Before returning to campus, Schnur told Tcheyan, "If we start a band, we have to call it The Day Jobs."
The second semester of their freshman year saw Schnur cast as the drummer, Tcheyan ready to fill the role of "front man with mystique," and Wyne emerging as "a guitar-playing grizzly bear." All they needed to make their lofty pre-o dream a reality was a bassist.
Meanwhile, Friedlander had been busy establishing himself as a "jam slut," offering his bass-playing services to several Bowdoin bands. After what he thought was just another guest session with The Day Jobs, Friedlander was informed that his days of musical promiscuity were over; it was time to settle down.
The foursome spent the rest of the semester combining their mellow offstage personas with high energy performances to hone a unique brand of "deep-space passion-rock." Fellow sophomores Steve Kolowich and Wellesley Wilson helped fill out the band's sound by contributing with keyboard and vocals, respectively.
The Day Jobs cover songs by the Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, The Pixies, and Blondie. Last June, they spent time at a recording studio in Cleveland. With the help of a technician who was "constantly cracked-out on Red Bull," they produced a six-track EP, which includes four original songs.
Over the past two years, the band has performed for Common Good Day, Quinby House Tsunami Relief, Quinby Katrina Relief, and Ladd Rugby Relief, better known as Epicuria. The Day Jobs are currently working on learning new material for a pub gig in November.
During previous performances, the band has been surprised to observe "an abnormal amount of people making out." Tcheyan explains that after one concert at Quinby he was trying to search for his stolen guitar but couldn't get through the mass of kissing couples. Admittedly, he said, "We had just played a fairly sexual set. Actually, I think we played a song called 'Worked Up So Sexual'."
Unfortunately for these musicians, their sensual sound has not yet yielded them any direct benefits.
"I've signed more body parts singing with the Meddies," Friedlander confessed.
Though there may not be gaggles of female groupies at every show, The Day Jobs are more than grateful for their fan base.
"They always come and are always dancing, which is awesome for us," Tcheyan said of their loyal following of friends.
The Day Jobs are extremely appreciative of the energy their audience gives them, Schnur points to his roommate Tcheyan, "especially because this kid always wants to take his shirt off." But these fans have even gone beyond a spirited stage-hugging presence and an unwavering tolerance for Tcheyan's bare chest.
The band has a Facebook group called "The Day Jobs' Official Backstage Betties," created by their manager, Zach Roberts. The group has 24 members and nearly 150 groupies.
It is undeniable that The Day Jobs have broken out at Bowdoin, but their aspirations go far beyond Brunswick.
"We're going to be rock stars. We're going to be the best band in the world," Friedlander said.
Though the confidence of The Day Jobs may seem unfounded for such a young band, they have a full-proof plan for their global music domination: "gross over-promotion," Schnur said.
"We want to be twice as promoted as we are talented," added Tcheyan, and then, in a rare statement for any band, The Day Jobs insist that "It's not about the music."
So, what is it about for these four hard-rocking, food-loving sophomores?
According to them, it's about Big Top and Beast Ice. It's about dreams of opening for professor band Racer X or jamming with Dallas Denery. It's about The Faint, and it's about Izze. It's about road trips and Ramadan. It's about surfing, and it's about shout outs to New Jersey band Ash and Elm."
All in all, for The Day Jobs it's about danger, and it's about fudge.