If you attended any of the live music events at Olde Club recently, you may have run into the organizers without realizing. Revived after the pandemic, The Olde Club Board coordinates band performances on campus. Speaking with the board, I learned their efforts are collaborative, not only with external groups but also internally, where the board does not have defined roles for the main leaders.
Sam Currall ’28 summarized: “With Olde Club [Board], there’s a lot of [outside time commitment]. There are these Thursday meetings, and then there’s external booking and the actual shows, which are several hours. You’re involved the entire day, making sure the show happens.”
Outside of the board, the collaboration continues with Swaudio and the Office of Student Engagement (OSE). Yu-Jing Chen ’28, a member of the board and Swaudio, added that the two organizations are “very connected,” especially in performance logistics, such as sound, lighting, instrument setup, and more. For professional management, OSE helps the board with the contracts, artists’ agents, insurance, paperwork, and the list goes on.
Within the Olde Club Board, the students, fellow board members, and artists’ relationships define their community. Senior Benjamin Rotko ’25, who helped revive the board back in 2022, commented, “What we’ve been able to do is build relationships with people. So much of booking, especially when you’re a DIY venue, is about building relationships with [the] people [performing]. We’re friends with them.” The board members greatly emphasized the importance of networking and establishing trust with the performers. The close relationships they create with these artists allow for plans to be well-executed and cultivate a positive atmosphere for performers and audience members alike.
As the board continues to grow in popularity, I asked the board members about their future plans. Rotko replied, “One thing that I would like to see in the future is for us to help more with the events that other people host at Olde Club.” Evelyn Weixel ’28 added, “Maybe it’s because we’re named ‘Olde Club,’ a lot of people think that we’re more involved with everything that happens there. We’re not opposed to that, [since] we’re in the space a lot. It would be cool to just help other events in my opinion.” Weixel and Currall plan to take on head leadership roles next year. They want to create more designated roles for members and focus on the boards’ specialties – negotiations, booking, set up, and audience engagement – for everyone in the board to contribute meaningfully. Ultimately, the board devotes their time to Olde Club out of love and appreciation for the space and its artists. Nox Tan ’28, a new member of the board, spoke about attending and planning the events, “You’ll talk to the bands at shows, but I feel like it will absolutely be a different type of vibe when you’re collaborating with them.” Chen added, “[It’s] very fulfilling to see each show happen because our club has [to do] a lot of preparation work [for them], [and] just as fulfilling to get to know more people who like music. I have made a lot of friends from the shows at Olde Club.” Rotko concluded,“I like being able to hear bands that I enjoy, to bring people together, as cliche as that sounds. It really is all about community,”
In the words of Weixel, if you want to become “an Olde Club regular,” stop by the Worthstock Olde Club performances on May 3 at 9 p.m. If you want to join the Olde Club Board or suggest ideas for events and artists you would like to see, reach out to them via Instagram (@oldeclub)! DMs are always welcome.
