No-ViCE brings novice, alternative bands to Vassar

Gulfem Demiray Assistant Arts Editor

No-ViCE has been bringing little-known yet talented bands to Vassar since it was created as a subdivision of Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) in Fall 2006. Founders Jake Friedman ’07 and Zach Rottman ’07 started the organization with the idea of bringing smaller, alternative bands to the campus.

The group is now run by a committee of 10 students, led by Sam Bloch ’09, Nick Marmet ’10 and Noah Kardos-Fine ’08.

“College is the time you should be doing all sorts of things,” Bloch said. “The more the students can see new performers, DJs, things that are different... the more they can understand different forms of expression.”

Tonight, Feb. 28, No-ViCE will host the bands High Place, Lucky Dragons and Pictureplane at 9 p.m. in Matthew’s Mug.

“People should be ready to dance and participate in the performance,” Bloch said. The three bands will have lively interactive shows, he added.

The headlining band, High Places, Brooklyn’s most popular group, has toured the country with bands such as the Blow and Yacht. High Places has started garnering respect in the independent music community for their minimalist sound. Band member Robert Barber plays a wooden box as a percussion instrument, while Mary Pearson accompanies him with her echoic voice.

Pictureplane, a one-man band from Denver, Colo., produces rave dance music with an energetic music sound. Recently, the face of Pictureplane, Travis Egedy, was chosen by Denver Music Magazine as the “Best One Man Band of Denver.”

The third performer, Lucky Dragons, comes from Los Angeles and is comprised of Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara. Bloch described Lucky Dragons’ sound as psychedelic dance music. Fischbeck plays a giant tube that makes an electronic sound during performances.

No-ViCE actively searches for novel sounds, Marmet and Bloch noted.

“[We] try to scout out experimental stuff that you wouldn’t find otherwise,” Marmet said, adding that No-ViCE is trying to create a place on campus for the kind of music students wouldn’t see on their favorite blogs, hear on the radio or hear from friends.

“They’re not the most accessible. That’s part of what’s so exciting,” Marmet continued.

What has made No-ViCE even more visible is their Web site, myspace.com/novicevassar. The site boasts information about upcoming performances and contact information for the No-ViCE committee, and allows visitors to listen to songs by recent bands.

Through its dedication to bringing different modes of musical expression to campus, No-ViCE has established itself as an important source for for exposing students to all sorts of artistic expression.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about listening to live music and having fun,” said Marmet.