Berklee's Live Rust

Students and alumni travel to Austin to pay tribute to a rock legend.

By Allen Bush
Berklee.edu Correspondent
April 21, 2006

  Reverend Glasseye
Photo by Margot Edwards
 
At the end of a heavy rocking rendition of Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," acoustic alt-rock priestess Melissa Ferrick, who performed the tune with experimental psych-rock band the Slip, told the crowd inside Friends bar that she and the others on stage were all alumni from Berklee College of Music. Giving a shout-out to one's alma mater might seem, at first thought, an unusual way to end a rock concert. After all, it's a genre where myth dictates that songs are created by divine intervention, and that bands are formed in basements and not ensemble rooms.

But Ferrick and the Slip were not alone. Far from it. Their performance concluded a rousing concert featuring more than 25 Berklee alumni and students performing originals and covers. And considering the setting—in front of a crowd of more than 300 people at the world's largest music showcase and conference, South By Southwest (SXSW), in Austin, Texas—as well as the strength of the performance, it's clear that rock and education can coexist quite well.

The nearly-three-hour afternoon concert was presented by Berklee and its student-run Heavy Rotation Records as a label showcase and musical tribute to SXSW keynote speaker Neil Young. The showcase and Neil Young Rewind marked the first time the college had staged an event at SXSW, though its presence is felt every year: Dozens of alumni annually play the clubs and represent record, promotion, and publishing companies; recording studios; and instrument manufacturers. For a representative of the college to have a conversation with anyone at the festival and not hear a Berklee name dropped is as unusual as finding a time in the day or night when a band isn't playing.

The party began with a rootsy, traditional rock 'n' roll set from Heavy Rotation act Charlie Worsham and the Free State of Tallahatchie. Worsham, Charlie Hutto, Stephen Sinatra, and Jaron Eaton are all current students who prolonged their spring break trip in Nashville to play SXSW, and after the 20-minute set many people asked if they had other festival appearances or music for sale. Worsham has two tracks on the new Heavy Rotation Records Dorm Sessions Volume 3 disc, which was distributed to the first 100 people through the door. Worsham, who was the day's music director, and his crew would return later as the backing band for a number of the alumni performers during the Young tribute.

Melissa Ferrick (in yellow shirt) performs with the Slip.
Photo by Margot Edwards
 

Next up was Apollo Sunshine, who put out its recent self-titled CD as a joint release from spinART and Heavy Rotation Records. It was a first-of-its-kind project for Berklee, one that gave students real-world experience promoting the band's CD and tour. At Friends, Apollo Sunshine gave the audience a loud, flashy appetizer that mixed avant-garde noise and ultra-melodic pop with rock and punk music. The band's 20-minute set, remarkable for masterful musicianship as well as frequent turns in unexpected directions, raced by in what felt like two minutes.

  Charlie Worsham
Photo by Allen Bush
 
Neil Young Rewind was a musical homage to the songs of a man whose music has had a profound impact on many of the songwriters and performers who have studied at Berklee. Performers included singer/songwriters, jam-band musicians, electronic sound designers, cabaret punksters, and straight-out rockers, an eclectic roster that well represented the wide musical landscape traversed by Berklee alumni. Amanda Mosher, Steve Dawson, Pink Nasty, Porter Davis, Sarah Sharp, Reverend Glasseye, Katahdin's Edge, Pamela Martinez, Joe Caputo (aka Computo), Rachel Loy, Jessie Murphy, the Bleedin Bleedins, the Slip, and Melissa Ferrick all performed either solo or with Worsham's band.

Among the Young tunes performed were "Heart of Gold," "I Am a Child," "Sail Away," "Falling Off the Face of the Earth," "Ohio," and "Mr. Soul."

"I had a blast, and I thought the lineup was amazing," said electronic musician/composer Computo, who presented a laptop computer–based version of "Southern Man."

"I was just blown away by all the groups I heard," Computo said. "I saw a ton of people I hadn't seen in years, including people I knew before Berklee, who just came out for that show."

Hours after the party ended, another showcase took its place with a new set of musicians playing a fiery set. While that band played, the Berklee posters remained taped near the front entrance of Friends. The Berklee musicians weren't around, but the list of names on the poster were, and that was enough to catch people's attention and send a message that the earlier show had given a glimpse of one very cool college for music.

Allen Bush is Berklee's director of public information.




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