Music Club: Harmony Through Music and Sardines
PVCC has a music club once again. The organization was put together to promote and celebrate the musical arts. With the help of PVCC’s Coordinator of Student Activities and Campus Engagement Rory Lee-Washington, the club was able to host their first listening party of the Spring semester, on Feb. 11. Students got together and listened to the new Mitski album Laurel Hell.
At that meeting, after setting up the Sony 2.1 sound system and laying out canned delicacies and mints, we started with a little spiel about the musicians that produced the featured record. As Laurell Hell began to play, the students started to settle in. Into the second track, “Working for the Knife,” a student had something to say. She paused the song and let us know that the music made her want to crawl into bed and be sad.
Soon after, Jhen Sullivan (@millennial.sketchbook on Instagram) and Drew Dunn (aka Strychn9ne) joined the meeting. The two are artists at our school and have been part of the club since before its initial meeting. Adam Cohn, one of the club’s student contacts, could not make it physically that day, but attended the party via speakerphone.
Being a club for students interested in any style of music makes for a great learning environment. Some students, truthfully, let us know Mitski’s music was not their style. So, we all discussed what we liked to listen to and played music ranging from hip-hop, dance, experimental, to rock. This is what we hoped to get out of Music Club. To not only create in our community, but also share. And, through our Discord server where we all communicate online, students have been able to share their interests and ideas with each other 24/7. I, as a member, have already gained so much.
That day, the sounds of music and pleasantries were just that, pleasant. Anna Ralls had never tried a sardine and was hesitant to. The small, oiled cut of sardine sat on the plate, cold, getting warm, actually. After a little encouragement, she pinched her nostrils and took the plunge. She likened it to tuna but was still not hooked on the sardine.
Since I forgot to bring a can opener, I thought that “La Sirena’s Sardines in Tomato Sauce” would not be enjoyed and instead we would have to go with the backup tab-canned “Bumblebee Sardines in Water.” Luckily, one student brought a knife to the party and managed to peel off the top, to reveal the carcasses of some very meaty fish. The three large headless sardines swam in a red tomato and oil bath. They were scrumptious, especially on a salty cracker.
Drew said, “Music Club is badass. We got sardines. We got artists of all calibers, all shapes, sizes, and colors. We are a diverse and inclusive community. … We got big things coming.”
Adam added, “We [do] have delicious sardines. We listen to albums. We talk about music in the community, how to get involved as a student, perform in Charlottesville, and we’re really excited to hear what people want out of Music Club. We want to hear your ideas.”
Jhen said, “You don’t have to be a musician in order to be in Music Club. You just have to have the sheer appreciation for music and the want to support other artists and, maybe, even learn an instrument or two.”
“You can be terrible. It’s okay to be bad. It’s art. It’s all about creating,” said Drew. Anyone interested in getting involved with Music Club can contact any of the student contacts, Adam Cohn (ajc3295@email.vccs.edu) or myself (cb20647@email.vccs.edu). It meets every week. The faculty adviser is Dr. Bridgid Eversole.
