As a freshman, Dave Soscia left behind his high school band in Albany with the mission to bring together all those students locked away in dormitory lounges fiddling on their guitars.
His vision was a group of musicians on stage in the Student Union Theater jamming in perfect harmony to the tunes of '90s rock bands. Students meeting other students with the same love of music. And bands that could use their talent to give back to the community with benefit concerts.
Four years later, the senior biophysics major has brought that vision to life as president and creator of the Student Association's Jam Club ?N but it was a tough road getting there.
Kevin Town, a senior business finance major and vice president of the club, has been a member since he saw a flyer with the question "Do you like Phish?" posted on a wall in Ellicott, one of Soscia's early attempts at attracting members to the new club.
"When we were a young club, we didn't have any idea what we were doing with anything," Town said.
The first meeting of the Jam Club resulted in around 40 students simultaneously banging away at an assortment of instruments (resembling more of a kindergarten music class than Soscia's all-time favorite Phish). And when Soscia and Town stood before a committee of SA officials and asked for a budget of $30,000 to fund instruments for the group and fulfill their hopes of getting a headliner band to play at UB, the response was less than promising.
"They just laughed at us," Town said. "They didn't even know what to say."
Since those first tests of determination, the club has gotten their act together, so to speak.
A group of 50 active members meet up at the Student Union Theater every Sunday at 2 p.m. In groups of five or six they take turns doing what they do best, jamming freely in whatever key and progression they choose to play.
"It's cool because it encourages improvisation, which is the key to becoming a good musician," Soscia said. "It enables you to think on the spot, which is what you have to do in live music."
Soscia, who plays drums, and Town, a bassist and trumpet player, have perfected their on-the-spot performances in their band The Hudson Well, thanks in part to that fateful flyer that brought them together in the Jam Club.
One doesn't have to be a connoisseur of music to be a part of the club ?N you don't even have to own an instrument. Students are welcome to sit back and enjoy the sounds, or pick up a pair of drumsticks and learn to play for themselves.
"You have a really good time, no matter what your skill level, it builds confidence," said Jay Jerose, a freshman aerospace engineering major who will take over as president of the club next year.
Club members pride themselves on the variety of music represented in the jam sessions, and the ability of each to flow together, including rock, jazz, funk, soul and so on.
"Sometimes your metal guitarist will be up there [on stage] with your Grateful Dead hippie-type," Town said.
The bands that have found their niche in Jam Club are given the opportunity to play in area venues as well. Soscia set up Live Fridays at Mojo's bar on Main Street, where he is in charge of booking musical ensembles from the Jam Club and the Buffalo-area to entertain the over-21 crowd.
Fundraising and community service are more of a pleasure than a duty for the musicians. It's as easy as setting up their amps and playing background music for a dinner function, or doing a concert to raise money for a local cause.
Before Soscia and Town hand over the mic for good to the next generation of jammers, they will have one last hoorah at their "Jammin' 2007" show on April 29 in the Student Union Theater.
The three-hour performance will host the bands that got their start in the Jam Club, along with an all-star "Super Jam" of the club's finest musicians and rappers from Hip Hop SA. Tickets are $2 at the door.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
