148 College Ave: An intimate new setting for indie concerts

Lauren Tennenbaum Assistant Arts Editor

Students seeking live music can add another venue to their lists. Just across the street from campus at 148 College Avenue is a residence rented by several current Vassar students. During the week, the house maintains a fairly ordinary routine, but on Fridays, students Sam Bloch ’09, Winston Morris ’09, and Evan Franzel ’09 transform the otherwise quiet residence into a venue for local indie bands, which has been popular among students.

“We were dissatisfied with the shows that the College was sponsoring and wanted a more intimate setting than the [multi-purpose rooms] on campus could provide,” said Morris. “While [the shows on campus] are still fun, we’re interested in creating a different type of experience.”

“Our shows are nice because you can hang out with the bands when they’re done playing. We’ve gotten really close with a lot of the groups that have played [at] our house,” said Bloch.

On Friday, Dec. 1, 148 hosted The Wailing Wall and Max Steele and the Party Ice. On Friday, Dec. 8, they will host CaUSE Co-MOTION! and High Places at 8 p.m.

High Places, an electronic pop band from Brooklyn, opened for Dirty Projectors earlier in the semester to an enthusiastic audience. High Places is known for incorporating visual projections into their performances to create a dynamic, multimedia experience. Since their last show at Vassar, they’ve become increasingly popular nationally, and even recently played a show in Alaska.

CaUSE Co-MOTION!, a pop-punk band also from Brooklyn, plays short and fast dance-oriented songs. Their album, Which Way is Up? is available from What’s Your Rupture? records.

“We try to find bands that play really fun, upbeat music—nothing whiny or depressing,” said Bloch.

Although the residents of 148 College Avenue will not host any shows over break, they will continue putting on shows next semester, and hope to continue sponsoring shows over their next few years at Vassar.

Find out about upcoming shows at www.148israd.com. Entrance fee is $3. All proceeds go to pay the bands that play.