Listen to the Sounds

A new Purchase band, The Vigilance Committee, hosted a show at the Food Co-Op on Sunday evening. Harmony showed through in more ways than one.
If you have yet to visit the Co-Op’s urban and relaxing environment, you are missing out. Though the area is cramped, there are plenty of cozy chairs and sofas to sit on. You can chose your accommodations can be made, from sitting at the counter and ordering a home-style tea in a mug, to being close to the small carpeted stage. The Jazz and slam poetry vibe, made it the perfect place for The Vigilance Committee’s first show.
But first, the groovy, hip-hop group known as The Party Tribe kicked off the show at 7:30 pm. Next up, Michael Korb, signed with Winged Disk Records, shared his Saint James, NY, acoustic and indie-rock sound. Then, The Vigilance Committee commanded the crowd’s attention with their talent and contagious energy. Recently broken up Olken, ended the evening with a strong performance, creating a close bond between the band and audience.
The Party Tribe, made up of Michael Forzano (bass), Mike Zeffiro (keys), Kenny Schwartz (drums), and front man Marco Lamas (guitar) were deserted at the last minute, by their M.C. To make up for it, they had two free-stylists and one singer from the audience join them on stage. After the set Lamas, who was hyper with adrenalin said, “we are all sweaty messes right now hopefully that’s how you know it’s a good show.” Their performance can be summed up by their motto, “the groove is so important to us…we are all about the feeling,” explained Lamas.
The multi-influenced Vigilance Committee excited students with their diverse sound. The bands creator and front man Peter J. Scoma, not only plays guitar but, is the core writer and singer. Stephanie Babirak, their harpist, assists Scoma with her strong vocals. The other two members of the Purchase band are bass player Johnny Germthe and Phil Corso on drums.
Corso said he began putting the show together over winter break by emailing General Program Coordinator, Andrew Kuhl and Sam Schacter who then “presented” to the Co-Op Show Coordinator, Stefan Fink. Fink booked the show for the band, while Corso put the bands together. “A lot of people came so, it felt good,” Corso said enthusiastically. He mentioned that he had not played live in two years but had been playing drums his entire life because his father was a drummer. The tightly knit band has a long history with Scoma and Corso playing together since high school. Once Scoma came to Purchase this year, he decided to put together the band after playing in other bands with Germ and knowing Babirak. The next step for the band is to play as many shows during the semester as possible and, “hopefully, this summer we can go crazy,” said Corso.
Olken, managed without their percussionist because the rest of the band members certainly have a lot to offer. With Kevin Henthorn playing guitar and signing, guitarist and vocalist, Bob Raymonda and Chloe Tompkins singing and playing the accordion, they very well might be one of Purchase’s most original bands. Yes, they have a typical indie sound, however, during their last song they proved to be anything but ordinary. Before their last number, they felt the need to point out how they normally use heavy drums for the song so everyone was welcome to bang on anything they could find. At that moment, there was an incredible act of magic, as the soul of Purchase was revealed while students passed out books and keys to bang and shake around.

Sophomore Lisa Burstein, is living proof of the pulling power of The Vigilance Committee - she attended the event even though she rarely sets foot in the Co-Op. “It’s usually a good time,” but, “I don’t know if I would ever actually just come to the Co-Op,” she said. Regardless, The Vigilance Committee succeeded in bringing together the different sounds and people of Purchase.