Lesson plans and rock 'n' roll bands

By Jess Decina

Ask a student to imagine how his or her professors spend their weekends. The answers “prepare lessons” or “grade papers” might be popular responses. Playing a set at a venue in Philly, however, would probably come as a surprise.

But that’s exactly what Dr. Jonathan Millen, chairman of the Communication and Journalism department, did on Sunday, Nov. 5, at Philadelphia’s Manhattan Room. Millen plays drums for Run to Sandy, a band he describes as “rock ’n’ roll-based [with] pop sensibilities.”

“This is our second professional venue,” he said. “We played in Philly about two weeks ago at a club called Fire. [It] was late on a Wednesday night. We didn’t promote it, we were just using it as a chance to get used to the whole concept, but we had a blast.”

Run to Sandy began approximately a year ago, but Millen has no major plans to take the band beyond the realm of local venues and an appearance in the Rider Pub. The band is, if anything, “a hobby.”

“It’s mostly people that live in my neighborhood in Yardley,” he said. “Most of us are married and we started goofing around in the basement and ended up writing some new material.”

Run to Sandy thrives on a diverse range of music, Millen said. Whereas Millen has a sharp ear for classic rock, other members have more of a pop and heavy metal orientation, he said.

“There’s all of these different voices in the band that make for somewhat of a unique approach,” he said.

Millen isn’t the only staff member who enjoys rocking out in his spare time. James Rigel, an adjunct professor of sociology, and Peter G. Borg, the University’s public relations photographer, are both members of the blues-inspired band Catfish. According to Borg, who plays harmonica and occasionally picks up the bass guitar, the band has been together for nearly 15 years, but still remains low-key.

“We’re all family people for the most part with a lot of other commitments,” he said. “We practice whenever we can and we try to add to our repertoire from time to time.”

That repertoire includes two albums and “about a dozen gigs a year,” Borg said. The band recorded its first album four years ago at Sun Recording Studios, just to get the experience.

“We don’t have any aspirations of getting anywhere,” he said. “It’s for our own enjoyment and the enjoyment of those that like to listen to the blues.”

Catfish is mostly blues-based, Borg said, although he takes much of his inspiration from bands like the Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zepplin, who combine heavy blues with rock sounds.

The members of Run to Sandy and Catfish joined forces last year, as part of an end-of-the-year event for Millen’s Social Impact of Rock ’n’ Roll class. Borg was surprised to see such a response there.

“We got a very good response,” he said. “We played a good hour-and-a-half, and people stuck around.”

But still, you won’t see Millen or Borg shouting from the rooftops about their bands’ latest shows. Millen quietly sent out an e-mail to his colleagues to promote Run to Sandy’s most recent performance.

“[It was] the first time we encouraged our friends and colleagues to come check [us] out,” he said.

Borg is just as modest, making little effort to publicize Catfish’s shows. For the band’s next public appearance – a show at Sweeney’s Saloon in Trenton on Dec. 2 – he’ll contact “a few people around campus that are interested or maybe want to go,” he said.

“Sometimes the shows are to just a few people,” Borg said. “And sometimes it’s to a crowded room. I prefer the crowded room, of course.”

Millen, Borg and Rigel probably won’t be the next rock stars of tomorrow. They probably won’t ever compete on an American Idol-type show. And that’s perfectly fine with them.

“We don’t have a huge following,” Borg said. “But we don’t expect one.”