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Andrew Cheng | The Phoenix

BY DINA ZINGARO

In print | Published February 4, 2010

Students interested in music outside the academic sphere have often found themselves with no place to jam, at least without the risk of quickly making enemies. The reemergence of the student-run Sound Machine will soon remedy this problem. Sound Machine aims to offer Swarthmore students a space to play and practice music at Olde Club.

Ben Saller ’06 chartered Sound Machine in 2004, but much of the equipment fell into disrepair after Saller graduated. Sound Machine was first chartered as a club for students who paid a membership fee. Members could use the space but were required to clean the area afterwards. The musicians hosted jam sessions and other events for fellow musicians and the student body as a whole.
This semester, the club has been reestablished through the efforts of director Trevor Rizzolo ’11. “There wasn’t really anyone who was willing to take over and put in the time to keep [Sound Machine] that way,” Rizzolo said.

Since 2006, student musicians have continued to use the space, and several students have controlled access to the space, but there was little oversight of equipment use. Equipment that broke stayed broken; no one looked into getting the items fixed. This is what really attracted Rizzolo to the space. He is an engineering major with a focus on electronics and an interest in musical electronics.
Rizzolo explained that repairing the broken equipment seemed like “a great way to build experience.” Although he is the primary caretaker of the equipment, Rizzolo welcomes “any specialized knowledge” from students who may be able to help.

Now, Sound Machine has been revitalized and offers its room and equipment to groups, individuals and established bands looking for a place to jam. After obtaining approval from the Student Planning Committee, Sound Machine now has official status. Rizzolo hopes that this will provide an incentive for the organization to keep going after he graduates.

Rizzolo has been a guitarist for about three years and is a member of the band The Smile. Rizzolo first became aware of Sound Machine when looking for a place to practice last fall. He can sympathize with other student musicians searching for a practice space.

“When I first found out about it, it was mostly that you had to know someone who knew someone who could tell you where it was,” Rizzolo said. “The music department obviously has its own stuff; they do choir and orchestra and jazz band, but if you are basically looking to do anything else, you are sort of out of luck without Sound Machine.”

Sound Machine offers students an outlet to rehearse, collaborate and share their music with other musicians. “There’s such a thrill to the collaborative aspect of making and shaping new sound alongside other people: blending influences, sharing suggestions, and, of course, the glory or horror of attempting vocal harmony,” Jessica Holler ’10 said in an email. “I could invite a soul guitarist or a funk pianist to some shindig with a couple of banjo players, and who even knows what might happen?” Holler specializes in an unusual array of instruments including the banjo, guitar and baritone ukulele. Through participating in Sound Machine, she is hoping to locate other musicians interested in playing folk music and to be able to have a space to play music with them.

Rizzolo has cleaned up and rearranged the space in Olde Club in order to provide better accessibility for student musicians. Also, he hopes to purchase new music equipment with the additional budget granted to him by the SPC. Rizzolo’s addition of an equipment request board allows members to easily place requests for instruments that they need. The equipment that Sound Machine maintains includes two five-piece drum kits, a small selection of cymbals, a PA system with two vocal microphones, a guitar and a bass guitar along with several guitar and bass amplifiers, and a keyboard and keyboard amplifier.

Rizzolo considers the drum kit “the most unique draw at Sound Machine,” since the Swarthmore jazz band maintains the only other drum kit available on campus. Although priority of the equipment offered belongs to Olde Club and the rehearsal space, some of the equipment can be loaned for use outside of the space. Students do not have to be concerned about lugging around their instruments since Sound Machine will provide the equipment.

“I could go straight from a study session in Hicks to a jam session in Olde Club,” member Daniel Spagnolo ’13 said. “That’s awesome.”

Rizzolo hopes to bring back the older tradition of holding open jam sessions for various types of music, which was originally mentioned in the club’s charter. Spagnolo, who plays guitar, electric bass and ukulele, believes Sound Machine will help accomplish his goal of performing as soon as he builds a band or writes his own songs, which he has done in the past.

Rizzolo also mentioned the likelihood of a karaoke night hosted by Sound Machine, but added that he needs “people who are willing to do it and willing to be ridiculous for it.”

Wesley Edwards ’12 expressed his excitement to “jam with some new faces.” The space in Olde Club will allow students the opportunity to re-embrace their passion for music.

Bassist Julian Leland ’12 found that even though he has been playing music since the age of eight, his “involvement with music has dipped sharply” since he arrived at Swarthmore. He hopes Sound Machine will remedy this and become “somewhere we can go to meet other musicians, organize groups, learn and enjoy ourselves.”

Sound Machine presents musicians in search of an outlet the chance to channel their musical abilities alongside fellow students. Perhaps Saller simply said it best in his charter for Sound Machine: “There are no garages on campus. Rock bands certainly can’t rehearse in a Willets double.” For students looking for a pratice spot for their band, Sound Machine may provide the answer.

To reserve the space and request a timeslot, or if you have any questions, please contact Rizzolo at soundmachine@swarthmore.edu.

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