The First Annual Sophomore Blues Competition provided a showcase for sophomore musicians and performers, who were comfortable screaming, staggering, strutting, and rocking all over the stage. Big drums and amps backed up some, while others were more somber and introspective. Though sparsely attended, none of the competitors held back once they got on stage.
Sophomore Class Dean Louise Brown and her band, The Blues Boys, kicked the event off with Brown’s original composition, “I Got the Sophomore Blues.” She set the tone for her sophomore flock, belting out the lyrics with gusto. Oddly enough, Brown’s was the only song of the night that actually dealt with being a sophomore.
Second up was King & Moench, comprised of Alex King ’09 and David Moench ’09, playing their dueling guitar instrumental, “Sophomore Blues Shuffle.” The duo volleyed back and forth, switching between lead and rhythm guitar. Each demonstrated great technical ability, flying from scale to scale and throwing down some nice arpeggios in between. Think Santana circa 1966, times two.
Bottle Up & Go performed next, with Keenan Mitchell ’09 on lead guitar and vocals and Fareed Sajan ’09 on the drums. Though their microphones were turned down so low as to render their vocals inaudible, the spirit of their song came through. With plenty of slide guitar and tons of cymbals, their song “All My Trials” conveyed a raw power that expressed plenty of frustration even without vocal assistance. The song seemed to scream, “Let’s face it, the honeymoon of freshman year is over, sophomore year sucks, and who doesn’t feel like screaming their lungs out over a big electric guitar in front of the dean?”
After Mitchell and Sajan came Jacob Milstein ’09 with “Unlikable Blues.” Milstein shed the amps and drums of previous acts and brought blues back to its Delta roots. Relying on only an acoustic guitar and haunting vocals to make his point, Milstein summed up the trapped feeling of second year students at Wesleyan.
“I wish I could break out of prison,” he crowed.
Milstein frenetic energy defined his performance, his hair obscuring his face as he sat bent over the microphone. Legend has it that Robert Johnson, the great blues musician, sat in the corner with his back to everyone when he recorded his first album. Milstein projected the same vibe.
Natasha White ’09 followed Milstein with the only spoken word contribution of the night. Her untitled piece stood out as the most serious of the night, touching on the economy of race and growing up in America. Though she said this was her first time speaking for such an audience, White’s unwavering voice belied such fears. Although not technically a song, her piece was all blues.
Galen DeGraf ’09, Joe Newman ’09, Sam Ottinger ’09, and Luke Woollard ’09, a.k.a. The Broken Bottles, performed their “Strugglin’ Toward the Light Blues” in one of the biggest ensemble performances of the night. The four were in complete harmony: the drums and bass precise, Tom Waits-like vocals, and a great saxophone solo to top it off.
The Backline (comprised of George Brady ’09, Will Franklin ’09, Miller Nuttle ’09, and Spencer Platt ’09) ended the show with the most extravagant performance of the night. Their rendition of “Chuch” came complete with choreography, jazzy hats, and Franklin’s wild stage presence. Organ, bass, and drums all laid down the backline for the lead guitarist’s inspired shredding, tapping, and bending, which went through several key changes before becoming a kind of revue of the evolution of the blues.
From somber to celebratory, solos to ensembles, the competition provided a rare opportunity for some talented sophomores to show off their stuff. The Backline took first, followed by The Broken Bottles and Jacob Milstein, receiving gift certificates to shops around the University.
Brown told everyone to stay tuned for next year’s sophomore versus junior class competition.
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