The Collegian

Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Arts

Passing the Torch

The popular student bands Juny and The Hotness will split up after its members graduate in May, leaving behind a pair of new student bands whose members hope to keep campus rocking at this year's Centralhall-apalooza and beyond.

As one musical era ends, however, the next generation of campus rock musicians will take center stage and carry the torch for the Hillsdale scene. Juny and The Hotness will perform one last time at Saturday's Centralhallapalooza alongside the popular bluegrass band Hilltop Moonshiners as well as new bands Shaded by the Sun and the Sound of His Roar.

Juny's lead singer and guitarist senior Dan Miloch and his bandmates, seniors Drew Gonsh-orowski, Rob Ogden and Collegian News Editor Nick Tabor, have acquired a loyal following on campus since they formed in 2004. But as Miloch sees it, Hillsdale's music scene is in capable hands.

"There is a lot of creativity on campus," he said. "I am excited as the new bands are doing some cool stuff."



Opposites Attract

Up first: Shaded by the Sun. When Centralhallapalooza voting closed, Shaded had won the popular vote, even beating more established bands like Juny and The Hotness. As their first Centralhallapalooza performance approaches, the band is readying itself for its biggest moment since forming last fall.

"We want to give all the people who voted us in a good show," said sophomore Alex Green, the band's drummer. "This is about putting our money where our mouth is and showing we have earned it."

Joining Green are sophomore bassist John Hann, senior vocalist Jon "Sledge" Hartlaub and junior guitarist Max Warner. All four have rambled through Hillsdale's fluid music scene before now, finally coalescing into Shaded by the Sun at the 2008 Battle of the Bands. Such a journey has tempered the band's outlook on its older peers, and Hann said his group deeply respects other musicians around campus.

"Bands like Juny have laid a foundation for something," Hann said. "It is an interesting musical scene at Hillsdale once they and The Hotness leave, as there are big shoes to fill."

Green said the best way to carve Shaded's name into a legacy will be with music that violently shifts between contrasting sounds. Dichotomy is the name of the game, and the group holds no qualms about their alternative rock's frequent yin and yang.

"Our band name speaks to both the light and darkness in our music as the lyrics are either positive or hopeless," Green said. "It is a good name for the juxtaposition between both extremes in our music."

Regardless of how often the band toys with pairings, their focus remains on a single goal. By this time next year, Green said, Shaded hopes for top-dog status.

"We want to establish ourselves as the biggest band on campus going into fall," he said. "Hopefully at Centralhall-apalooza we will achieve our goal of establishing ourselves."



Taste of Change

Equally driven is the Sound of His Roar, a pop-punk band also looking for recognition at Centralhallapalooza. Unlike Shaded by the Sun's alternative sound, however, Sound of His Roar runs a much different route toward acclaim. Rather than continuing the serious rock of Hillsdale past, the group hopes to become the fresh, zany voice of Hillsdale present.

"We will give people candy if they come to our show - ear candy," said junior Mark Goss, the band's lead guitarist and keyboardist. "This is a new flavor for Hillsdale."

Freshman vocalist Max Walling, junior rhythm guitarist Matt Weibel, junior bassist Bryan Leonard and freshman drummer Alex Cothran comprise the rest of the group. Though each member brings different musical tastes to the table, all agree their sound is something campus doesn't usually see.

"What we do is alien to Hillsdale, and ironically enough, anywhere else we would not stick out at all," Leonard said. "We want to bring catchy and fun music here, some pop-punk with teeth."

The band is betting its mix of rambunctious covers and carefree originals will help stressed students lighten up before the hurricane of finals. Leonard said for band and fan alike, Centralhallapalooza will be a wild night.

"Our set will be a good way to come out, forget everything and have fun," he said. "I am excited to shake things up a bit."

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