Alums and Students Who Rock
The Many Gigs of Bob Gilman
by Joshua Unikel '07
“When I was at Hobart, I played in bands
from my first-year on,” recalls Dr. Bob
Gilman ’70, current president of the Hobart
Alumni Association. And he isn’t kidding. In fact,
this renowned plastic surgeon and drummer has
been playing music ever since.
- 1966: “I played
Stones and danceoriented
music in a
band with another
Hobart student, David
Vermillion ’78, and
two guys from Syracuse
every weekend.”
- 1967: “I was in the Sunny
Geneva War Memorial
Rock ’N Roll Band, playing
Sixties blues with Peter
Weinstock ’70 on piano and vocals, Greg
Tobias ’68 on bass and Willard Bridgham
’68 on lead guitar and vocals.”
- 1968: “During my junior year I played drums
in a Sixties-era band called Sal Semolina and
the People that Owe Him Money with Danny
Kohn ’70 on rhythm guitar, John Suby ’70
on vocals, David Norad ’71 on
bass, Alan Dalrymple ’66 on
lead guitar and Tom Lucas ’70
on organ. We used to rehearse
after dinner every night in the
basement of Houghton House.”
- 1969: “As a senior, I
drummed with Peter and the
Prophets, a space rock opera
band made up of myself, John
Falck ’69 on vocals, Tom
Lucas ’70 on keyboard and
vocals, Peter Hicks ’71 on
rhythm guitar and Peter
Haviland ’69 on lead guitar
and vocals. The core of the band, myself not
included, became T Rocket and the Barking
Dogs, a New York State mainstay throughout
the 1970s.”
After leaving his many former band mates at
Hobart, Gilman continued to play. For the past
10 years, he’s been playing with a band called
The Regressions made up of 20 people, most
of whom are doctors or professional musicians.
“We have a number of singers who allow us
to play a broad range of Sixties and Seventies
rock ’n roll, R & B and Motown,” Gilman says.
“Most of our performances are fundraisers;
we’ve played reunions at Yale University and
Columbia and have even played the Hammerstein
Ballroom.”
With so many bands and styles in his
repertoire, what’s this plastic surgeon-by-day/
drummer-by-night’s favorite genre? Gilman
answers, “Without a doubt, my favorite thing
to play is rock ’n roll.”
A Wake-up Call from Red Rush Morning
by Joshua Unikel '07
What do Hobart hockey and rock music have in common? Answer: Red Rush
Morning. “We’ve been playing modern rock together for the past few years,” says
guitarist and Statesmen forward Blake Bonham ’10. “We definitely have an acoustic
vibe to us, but there’s a definite rock edge as well.”
In addition to Bonham, the band includes Keith Longo ’09, Drew Wadsworth ’10,
Bryant Harris ’09, Chris Strip ’10, and Nick Petros ’09. Four of the six are Hobart
hockey players.
“When we came together as a band, three of the guys were upperclassmen,” Bonham
says. “It was kind of a domino effect: we started talking about music and instruments we
played, and then one of us would say, ‘Oh, you play this?’ or ‘Oh, you sing this?’ and it all
came together. If one of us has a good song, we bring it to the band.”
With catchy hooks and pop vocals with a rock-rough edge, Red Rush Morning is giving
HWS a wakeup call, showing everyone what student-athlete-musicians can do. “We play
mainly on campus,” Bonham explains. “We hope to get signed by the end of the school
year. Maybe we’ll even tour a little over the summer.”
Acoustic Mayhem: Where Are They Now?
by Joshua Unikel '07
The Band:
Steve Jemison ’92
- Vocals and Lead Guitar
- Location: Edwards, Colo.
- Occupation: Financial Adviser with
Merrill Lynch
- Music Projects: After Hobart, Jemison
played in Switchback, a psychedelic
acoustic jam band. When the band
broke up, Jemison turned his attention
to a future Acoustic Mayhem album.
- Regular Venues Played: Grouse On The Green
Arch Kingsley ’94
- Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
- Location: Camden, S.C.
- Current Occupation: Blacksmith,
Trains Racehorses, Musician and
Retired National Champion Jockey
- Music Projects: Kingsley has played
charity events at venues throughout
South Carolina.
- Regular Venues Played: The Venue
and The Brew and Cue
Jon Fishman ’92
- Drums and Percussion
- Location: Chicago, Ill.
- Current Occupation: Spanish Textile
Salesman
- Music Projects: Fishman is still an
active drummer, playing in a variety
of bands, mainly in the genre of
jazz fusion.
- Regular Venues Played: The
Horseshoe and the Underground
Wonderland
Shows
- Sill House Jam Sessions: “During my
junior year and Arch’s sophomore year, we
had jam sessions in Sill House where Arch
was living,” explains Jemison. “Arch and I
played guitars, and Jon was on the congas.
The kids living in Sill House and everyone’s
friends started coming to the jams, just
for casual entertainment. Eventually we
started making set lists, getting better as a
band and eventually playing out at shows
on campus.”
- The Reunion Shows: In June 2002,
Kingsley, Jemison and Fishman returned
to Geneva for the Classes of 1992 10 year
Reunion and to perform two concerts
in their old favorite venue: Copperfields
(formally Rumrunners). On both nights,
Fonz (a popular Geneva bouncer) announced
the band. “We arrived two days
early to a house we’d rented as rehearsal
space,” explains Jemison. “We played
for 15 hours a day until our fingers bled.
Musically speaking, we picked up where
we’d left off. ”
- Their Yearly Circuit: After reuniting
in June 2002, the members of Acoustic
Mayhem re-sparked the artistic flame lit
ten years before. “Ever since, we’ve been
getting together once a year to catch up
and play some of our tunes,” explains
Jemison. “One year we’ll meet in Colorado,
the next year we’ll meet in South
Carolina, then Illinois.”
Currently, Acoustic Mayhem is talking
about recording a full-length studio album
based on some of the tracks they laid
down in 1992 as well as a studio rehearsal
session they did in recent years.
To see Acoustic Mayhem perform Jesse James during the 2002 Reunion show, click here.
Looking into Kaleidoscope
by Joshua Unikel '07
As far as student bands go, it doesn’t get much newer than the
jam-band Kaleidoscope made up of Sarik Kumar ’11, Mike
Buccino ’09, Mike Monteiro ’10, Andrew Tarnas-Raskin
’11, and Zach Potter ’09. “We played together for the first
time on September 13,” says
bassist Monteiro. “We played
Delta Chi that night and got an
overwhelming response, with
people chanting ‘one more song’ throughout the entire set.”
With a powerful mix of influences that includes Phish and Pink Floyd and a tight-knit way of losing themselves in
their music as they jam through the hours at campus parties, Kaleidoscope is showing HWS their vision of how music
should be. “Every time we play, it’s different,” explains Kumar. “That’s one of the main reasons we all like to jam so
much, every time is a new experience.”
HWS Bands and Musicians
compiled by Melissa Sue Sorrells '05
If your band isn’t listed here, email sorrells@hws.edu with your name, your band's name and a URL to your band's Web site (if you have one).
