Live and Loud: How These Students Fill The Forum With Their Unique Sound

 

In conversation with the primary musicians responsible for the catchy, yet subtly chaotic grooves that can be heard in Forum-104 Every Thursday, from noon to 2:00pm, they dial in on their upbringings as musicians, and how they came together despite all odds to move air and create live music.

As Winter Term comes to a close, and with finals just around the corner, students  fill every nook and cranny in sight, in search of a quiet place to lock in. On the contrary, a number of students take a bit of a different approach– and quiet isn’t exactly what they’re looking for.

The group is open to jamming with anybody who can keep up, and consists of various members depending on whoever happens to drop in. This loose, relaxed approach carries over to their eclectic sound, which can be described as having jazz and funk influence, with just a touch of R&B in the mix. 

The heart and soul of this musical collective– its members, all come from distinctive musical backgrounds. Each of them add a little piece of themselves into the mix in order to achieve their eclectic sound. 

For Bohden Volyshyn, age 18, who can usually be heard laying it down on piano, music has been a major part of his life from a young age, yet his initiation into the jam was all but a matter of happenstance. 

“I remember the first time my parents showed me Michael Jackson when I was six. I was really fascinated by that man,” said Voloshyn.

“Years afterwards, you know, to grow in a lot of things, especially music production, and I just happened to meet all these wonderful people in this wonderful room.” 

When he sits in front of the piano to play, Voloshyn draws inspiration from the music he’s listening to at the time, mostly Hip-Hop and R&B, in order to add a modern flare to the sound. 

These modern melodies and musical sensibilities are perfectly reinforced by the group’s drummer, Aaron Diaz, age 20, commutes to LBCC from his home in Salem every Thursday to make it happen. 

“It’s a lot of driving,” Said Diaz,  “But you have to be committed in order to make these meetings possible. We’re all committed.”

Travelling isn’t the only area Diaz goes the extra mile in, as he’s currently involved in several projects, including a Mexican band, and a swing-jazz band.  

The experience Diaz gained from playing gigs with such a diverse array of musical acts lends a particular sense of freedom to the group’s jam sessions, as if anyone could take the sound in a different direction. 

This fusion of genres gives the other members an opportunity to switch things up and explore different rhythms, melodies and chord progressions on the fly. 

No member of the group seeks freedom through music as much as Tyler Smith, who primarily plays guitar. In his eyes, music is the driving force that motivates nearly every aspect of his life. Wherever he goes, his guitar can be found right beside him. 

After being introduced to guitar as a child, Smith ran with it and never looked back. 

“I’ve been playing guitar for 13 years, or something like that,” Smith said. 

“I was taught by my father in elementary school, and had a jazz teacher in middle school.” 

From the humblest of beginnings, Smith came to Oregon on a a bus

As chance would have it, Smith fell in with the group in a similar fashion to Voloshyn; simply being in the right place at the right time. Smith spends the majority of his free time on Campus at LBCC, in the practice rooms at South Santiam Hall, or in the Forum, strumming away on his guitar or writing energetic, spontaneous melodies on piano.

The other members of the group were meeting in the forum when they just happened to run into smith along the way, who immediately took interest, and joined in spontaneously. “If I can, I want to bring freedom to the sound, and want to contribute in  any way I can to this band. I will adjust or assemble whatever way other folks feel is necessary because I think that's really important for the synergy.”