A new set of kids is on the scene. The music scene, that is.
Sophomores Nyle Usmani and Mikel McCavana have spearheaded the Bowdoin Music Collective (BMC) this semester to open up the musical possibilities available to students on campus. Free-styler Usmani and McCavana, a member of the all-male a cappella group, the Meddiebempsters (Meddies), decided that Bowdoin needed something new.
"The BMC came about through my friendship with Nyle and our shared desire to increase the amount and presence of student musical performances on Bowdoin's campus," said McCavana. "There are some very talented musicians and songwriters here, but many do not have the opportunity to perform regularly or for an audience."
"By serving as a network to connect like-minded musicians, helping them book shows and advertising for these shows, the BMC hopes to bring a positive change to Bowdoin's campus culture by increasing the amount of visible musical activity," McCavana added.
Usmani echoed these sentiments.
"The BMC was created out of a shared passion between me and Mikel. We were kicking back, feeling a little betrayed by what Bowdoin had offered us. I told Mikel how I was tired...tired of the formulaic cramped and sweaty social house parties with the same blistering beats on loop," said Usmani. "I felt like I had been sold a lie about the creative types at Bowdoin, and I lamented about how Bowdoin lacked an artistic culture."
"We both hoped at the bottom of our hearts that the problem at Bowdoin wasn't due to a lack of artists, driven by creative expression and talent," added Usmani. "Rather, we hoped it was because there was no support or infrastructure to help these artists."
But all that changed when McCavana and Usmani took matters into their own hands.
"That was when we set out to inspire this campus and breathe vitality into the musical scene here," Usmani said.
BMC's effort has been successful in its early stage, acquiring a large membership.
It's first concert will be held tonight at Jack Magee's Pub. The numerous featured acts include soloists Eddy Page '13, Jamie Cohen '11, Malachi Graham '12, Emily Schonberg '10 and Hassan Muhammad '10, as well as bands Mango Floss, Daytime Emmys, Marshall Law, Ken D and the Ken Dolls, and Speeder Y.
Emily Schonberg, a member of the BMC, said she felt, as an acoustic performer and singer-songwriter, that the purpose of the music collective is "to strengthen the Bowdoin music community" because Bowdoin needs more and fresher venues where students can perform and explore music.
Schonberg said advantages were that the BMC provides a good outlet for creativity in an open space, is wholly student-directed—not just by the leaders, but also by the members of the group—and is less intimidating than formal performances of even college house-held coffeehouses.
The welcoming aspect of the group also allows accessibility to music for everyone interested.
This is not the only recent student-driven initiative to bring Bowdoin-made music to a Bowdoin audience. Farhan Rahman '10 started the Unplugged at the Café series earlier this semester, revealing the general thirst for new ways of showcasing music at Bowdoin.
One example of BMC's creativity is its already begun "polar flash mobs," intended to inspire free style and spontaneous performance. Members are told immediately beforehand to go to a specified location, for example Super Snack to rock the lives of Super Snackers. The next musical flash mob is tentatively planned for Hawthorne-Longfellow Library to jar students out of their studying stupors.
In some ways this initiative echoes La Blogotheque (www.blogotheque.net), on which famous musicians are filmed performing, sometimes acoustically, in unexpected and usually public spaces. The audience members are anonymous people who happen to witness these impromptu performances.
"The BMC is a community of Bowdoin-bred musicians who practice their craft and are ready to bring their battle to the rest of campus," said Usmani. "Sick of a culture of apathy and isolation, these musicians are done being ignored, and have joined forces to rock this campus."
The BMC presents its first concert tonight at 9 p.m. at Jack Magee's Pub.
The BMC meets Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Smith Union. Meetings are open to the public.