Setbacks for MOBROC During the Pandemic

Photo courtesy of Morgan Maccione.

Whether it was the Valentine’s Day show in Larrabee common room with Aye Minus and The Couch, or Boatweiler playing in Abbey only a few days before the release of their third EP, “Boatweiler,” MOBROC (Musicians Organized for Bands’ Rights on Campus) shows used to always consist of sweaty dancing, screaming lyrics, and watching your friends get up on stage and finally show you what they’ve been practicing for weeks on end at the Barn. This year, that consistency was shattered due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but student turn-out for the shows this year has still been incredible. For every show that has been played this year, Tempel Green has been filled with people sitting six feet apart on blankets, and enjoying the music.

Isaac Moskowitz ’22, the singer in Aye Minus, talked to me about some of the struggles that bands have been having this year. I asked him first how practices have changed from last year to this year. He told me that last year, practices were scheduled on a big spreadsheet and it was all filled out on a first come first served basis. MOBROC practices this year are now Connquest events which need to be put into Connquest by the MOBROC executive board because individual band members were not given access to schedule something themselves. This adds a whole new layer of necessary communication between all the different bands and the MOBROC exec board. Practices have to be scheduled 24-48 hours in advance and this means that rain dates or any unexpected conflicts with a bands’ set practice time could lead to a band not getting to practice at all during a week. Despite all these new logistical changes, Moskowitz commented on the fact that with practices outside the Barn instead of inside, it allows for people to be more bold about approaching the band with questions. A first year musician who was interested in joining a band was able to hear Aye Minus practicing and now knows how to get involved in MOBROC.

Moskowitz and I then talked about how the shows have been. He mentioned that the 6 feet apart rule is pretty easy to follow on stage because each member of the bands usually stand far apart due to instruments and dancing on stage, the trouble comes with ununciating song lyrics properly. At Arbofest, this year called “Tempelfest,” Aye Minus put on a cover of the song “Fluorescent Adolescent” by the Arctic Monkeys and the fast lyrics were something Moskowitz had been practicing for weeks prior with a mask on so he could get used to how it felt.

Not only does the mask make it more difficult to enunciate, it also leaves the band on stage guessing how the audience is feeling about the show. When audience members were able to jump around, sing along, and show the bottom half of their faces, the band was able to tell how the show was going. Now it is a guessing game because people are all sitting down with masks on. So, when you attend your next MOBROC show, make sure to at least sway with the music, jump around even though you’re 6 feet away from your friends, or do something to validate the artists who are playing; it’ll make the band members happy.

Overall, MOBROC members are just thrilled to be allowed to play. While it was a slow start this year for bands to get permission to practice, the issues that masks and social-distancing bring are far outweighed by the happiness it gives band   members to be performing.