After a year of lockdowns, the return to in-person classes has brought forth a plethora of student bands, reigniting the local music scene. Here, we feature 10 student bands and musicians, including two DJs.
Breakfast Beers
A messy house the morning after a party was the beginning of a joke between two friends and became the eventual name of their band. In the summer of 2020, Paul Guardiola, ‘21, lived with his friend Andrew Ajaka, a senior majoring in theatre. One day, the duo found leftover, half-full Genesee beer cans from the night before and began using the phrase “breakfast beers.” When the friends wanted to form a band the following summer to play at Porchfest, they playfully chose Breakfast Beers as their band name.
Read more here.
BUG
In August of 2020, BUG met under a tent at the Mountainview College tennis courts for their first band practice.
As an incoming freshman during the hight of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jared Davis, now guitarist for BUG and a sophomore majoring in computer science, was looking for people to jam with. After meeting Aine Gunn, the vocalist for BUG and a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, on his first day at BU, and reaching out to Lucy Goodman, the drummer for the group and an undeclared sophomore, after seeing Goodman’s post on a Facebook group for new students, the initial group was formed, with the addition of bassist Brandon Walsh, who has since transferred.
Read more here.
Dream!
Binghamton University’s very own Josef Thompson is in the process of making his name as a rapper and DJ. Thompson is a junior majoring in systems science and industrial engineering. When not studying engineering, Thompson can be found making his very own music under the stage name Dream!
Currently, Thompson produces his own rap music and performs as a DJ at musical shows. He has six original songs that can be found on his SoundCloud @yourdreamsssss. Thompson has been inspired by a variety of musical artists, not just limited to rappers.
Read more here.
The Droogz
Punk band The Droogz is perfectly imperfect. The foursome’s nonchalant attitude may be the secret to their success.
Dawson Burlingame, guitarist, and Quinn Diehl, drummer, both played in a jazz band at Binghamton High School for three years together, but never took the time to really speak to each other, until the very last day of Burlingame’s senior year. Diehl asked Burlingame to be in a band with him, and this is where their journey began.
Read more here.
dylanborghini
If you ever walked into any nightclub or bar on State Street in the last year, chances are you’ve heard dylanborghini DJing at least one of them. Dylanborghini is the stage name for Dylan Yang, a junior majoring in computer science who goes by the stage name. Since 2020, he has been teaching himself how to DJ and has since shared his skills with the Binghamton University community.
Read more here.
From The Bronx
Student bands have surged as COVID-19 dwindled, and the all-freshman rock band From The Bronx has quickly become a crowd favorite.
This academic year, the Binghamton music scene has been burgeoning with student bands. Maybe due to a cultural drought after being relegated to bedroom jam sessions for the past couple of years, the student band scene has recently exploded with vigor and creativity. For many, countless weekends have been spent at basement shows on the West Side, gigs at local bars and even shows at the Bundy Museum of History and Art.
Read more here.
KWK
A lot can be accomplished in one week. A paper can be written, a book can be read and a television series can be watched. Or, friends with little to no musical background can start a band. KWK, a relatively new student band at Binghamton University, did just that when their friend approached them with a musical proposition: put on a concert for the first time ever in only one week.
Read more here.
Mote
“I literally cannot imagine my life without music,” said Fiona Celli, drummer of Mote and a freshman majoring in Italian.
Celli is a part of the student band Mote alongside Ella Kasper, a freshman majoring in psychology, on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Jackson Galati, ‘21, on lead guitar and occasional vocals and Oli Bo
chenek, a freshman majoring in art and design, on bass.
Read more here.
The Plasters
The Plasters are looking forward to the future of their band after winning the Battle of the Bands competition in March, and being given the opportunity to open for Gunna and Social House at Spring Fling just a month later.
The band consists of Cameron Cantine, lead singer and a junior double-majoring in economics and cinema, Julian Mahboubian, guitarist and a junior majoring in psychology, Lucy Goodman, drummer and an undeclared sophomore and Audrey Park, bassist and an undeclared freshman.
Read more here.
Under the Sink
Pipe Dream sat down with Under the Sink, a student rock band that performs frequently on the West Side of Binghamton. The band is comprised of Lila Pomerantz, a junior majoring in graphic design, who sings and plays guitar and bass, Nick Van Deusen, a junior majoring in systems science and industrial engineering, who sings and plays bass, Charles Speciale, a junior majoring in graphic design, who plays guitar and Ryan Land, an undeclared sophomore, who plays the drums.
Pomerantz, Van Deusen and Speciale discussed Under the Sink’s origins and music with Pipe Dream.
Read more here.
Welcome to Music Issue 2022. 
