Finding a place to plug in: it ain't Woodstock

LIZ OLINER/YH If the Sextones found practice space, your band can too.

Somewhere inside almost every suite at Yale, there's a guitar or two lying around. Acoustic, electric, six-string, two-string or what have you, these unfortunate wooden instruments have a tendency to collect dust in a corner, right next to the nicely framed picture of you and your high school sweetheart at the prom. That's right; after a few weeks, you'll stop calling your long-distance lover and, in even less time, you'll forget about your guitar. But you can't allow this to happen. Don't get distracted by frivolities like schoolwork and friends, and don't be discouraged just because you can't play. If you are a true rocker, you will sidestep the establishment and march alongside the rapidly growing group of rock bands and rock enthusiasts at Yale.

If you're looking to load up the Yale Bowl for a stadium rock extravaganza à la Frampton Comes Alive, you're deluding yourself; audiences for rock'n'roll gigs generally don't exceed 50 or 60 people, and a lot of audience members will be people from other bands who are just there to maintain the scene. The advantage, though, is a tight-knit community of would-be rock stars. Audiences are, for the most part, understanding. Bands lend each other equipment. Triple-bills sprout up. Everyone's happy.

Well, maybe not everyone. For some rockers, there's nothing more thrilling than playing in a really good concert; however, there are a lot of obstacles to face on the way. The first is finding a group of like-minded individuals with whom to play. Compromise is probably the best solution. Sure, if you love Richard Marx and the kid across the hall likes to break things while listening to speed metal, then the two of you are probably better off parting ways. But if you can find some common points of musical interest--a few bands or records here and there that you all admire--that should at least be enough to start some experimentation.

Then on to the next hurdle: practice space. Neighbors don't appreciate the thump of a bass drum or the squeals of overdriven guitars, so it's pretty important to have a suitable and comfortable place to play. If you're lucky, someone in your band will be in a college with good practice spaces. Saybrook takes the cake for this one; the college has a spacious practice room with near-soundproofed walls and a PA system. Other colleges vary; some have rooms designed with quieter musicians in mind.

Once you're practiced up and ready to share your rock'n'roll vision with your fellow Yalies--well, there's yet another obstacle. There aren't too many on-campus venues for rock shows. The Calhoun Cabaret is home base for Six Feet Under, a free-for-all of poetry and music that takes place on Thursdays. The Cabaret is fairly spacious but lacks sound-absorbing qualities. Consequently, it can sound like you're in an audio torture chamber. The Morse College dining hall has similar problems--sound ricochets off its high ceilings, metal chandeliers, and big-ass windows before it reaches your ears. Still, its spaciousness and its ready-for-action stage made it an ample home for both student shows and concerts by Braid and Trans Am. Many college common rooms are also suitable.

But enough with the sticky details. Signing out PA equipment from your Master's Office, making up posters, schlepping your hardware from practice space to gig place--these things are all annoying but bring rewards. Otherwise, the campus wouldn't have so many dedicated bands sprouting up to threaten your eardrums.

Whatever your inclinations, if you love rock music and you've fooled around with an instrument, get some friends and rock out with them. Disregard notions of quality and results: just play. The band scene at Yale doesn't provide the prestige of the Symphony or the Whiffenpoofs, but we're all musicians, and we all love what we do. The point is simple: don't let those guitar strings rust in a dusty corner of your room. Instead, get amplified to rock.

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