With only sporadic fraternity appearances and weeknights at Lone Pine Tavern, performance opportunities for campus bands are limited.
Hours from Boston and Burlington, Dartmouth sacrifices the existence of energetic venues and clubs to maintain its sheltered, small-town college feel.
So this Winter Carnival, instead of spending obscene amounts of money for a one-night stand from a famous band, committee members decided to stage Jamfest, a concert featuring Dartmouth student bands, in an attempt to raise interest and support from students for Dartmouth's waning music scene.
This Saturday night from 6 p.m. until midnight, the ambiguous space that is Collis Commonground will serve as the setting for four different student groups, each performing an hour and a half set.
The mini-concert starts with Kotter taking the stage until 7:30 p.m. A primarily Boston-based band, Kotter comes to Hanover via its sole Dartmouth member, Brad Bate '04.
Originally formed when the band members were juniors in high school, Kotter spent the summer and fall playing all over New England and recording and polishing a demo CD, that came out last summer.
Described as an acoustic rock group, the band has been influenced by the likes of other college-born crazes, namely Guster, Dispatch and Dave Matthews Band.
Sugar Jones, formerly known as Funk Barnacle, follows Kotter at 7:30 p.m. Comprised of three '02s and a single '04, Sugar Jones has been in existence since the senior band members' freshman year at Dartmouth.
After an approximately year-long performance hiatus because of problematic D-Plans and losing members to graduation, Sugar Jones returns to the Dartmouth music scene with their Jamfest performance.
Guitarist Gordy Quist '02 described their style as anything "from funk, to blues, to rock, to country."
Quist and fellow band members Damien Roomets '02, Trevor Nealon '02 and Fred Carleton '04 plan on recording their first CD this summer and possibly participating in a three-band tour of Trinity College, University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth.
Singer and guitarist Fred Yarger of the '04 band Dave's Gone Mad sees Jamfest as an opportunity for campus musicians to get to know each other and come together to take the initiative to improve the music scene at Dartmouth.
"I'd like to see more opportunities for a cohesive music culture here on campus," Yarger, who is also a member of The Dartmouth staff, said.
Taking the stage at 9 p.m., Dave's Gone Mad adds Jamfest to a performance repertoire that includes Saturday night appearances at Lone Pine and a gig at the Dartmouth Skiway open house.
The final act, on until midnight, will be Husky Dave, another '04 band made up of Mike Block on vocals, Janis Hui on drums, Stephen Lee and Jimmy Moody on guitar and Riz Mahmud on bass.
According to Block, Husky Dave "prides itself on being the only pseudo punk band in Dartmouth history, which may or may not be true."
All bands agree that Jamfest is a great way to promote student groups and the Dartmouth music scene in general.
It is no longer solely the responsibility of the administration to improve the availability of musical performances on campus.
Now a "Battle of the Bands," Jamfest allows each group a decent performance slot and ample stage time.
A bonus to such a direct showcase of student groups is that it allows them to display their talents and have a good time as the focus of entertainment, and not just background music.
All bands will be playing a majority of original songs combined with several covers.
If extreme talent and fun isn't enough to attract you, consider the Midnight Breakfast Brunch catered by EBAs directly following the performances.
The combination of lyrics, linked sausages and homefries will be a welcome mouthful.
