Creativity simmers in D-hall
John Maher
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment
I'm sitting at the counter at Supremo's, better known as the pizza station in the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, watching George DeMers shuffle one pizza after another from the oven to the counter. We're talking about music.
"Metal's my favorite, man. I was always into metal when I was growing up in Texas and, when I moved up to New York, I met up with my family here, and my cousins all played guitar. I guess I kinda learned from them, and went on to play in a band, you know?"
George, a short order cook here at Skidmore, plays guitar in a local skate punk band called Buzzard, which just released its eponymous debut album a couple of months back, recorded by the infamous New York hardcore producer Don Fury. He's toured the country as a roadie a couple of times, and is as proud of his musical endeavors as he is of the pizzas he makes behind the glass at Supremo's.
He's not the only one. Jeff Ayers, another short order cook, has played violin since he was in elementary school. His band, Skeletons in the Piano, just released its second album, which was also produced by Don Fury.
"I played mostly classical stuff until I was 16, when I went nuts - I couldn't take classical anymore. So my best friend and I started a metal band, Lore. We played around New York for the better part of a decade - we even played CBGB's, and were ranked No. 13 on www.mp3.com in 1999. After the band broke up, I took a couple years off, but now I'm back at it, playing keyboards and violin in Skeletons."
As I make my way around the Dining Hall, chatting with the cooks, I begin to realize that nearly all of them have at least dabbled in some sort of artistic discipline on the side.
Brian Burr, a dishwasher, and Jason Kerry, a roundsman in the Spa, play together in the local metal band Alchemy of Time. Simon Grimes, a short order cook, just released a hip-hop album under the name Pete Pluto.
Stew Swart, a cook, Peterson Cross, a short order cook and Ben Niese, a senior cook, are all visual artists. Joey Cavalier, the senior cook at Emily's and host of the Chefdad 2000 Show, majored in art during college, had his own band for a while and roadied for several bands, including the Replacements, for a number of years. Mary Ellen O'Connell is a photographer. Trish Eddy makes jewelry. The list goes on and on.
"Metal's my favorite, man. I was always into metal when I was growing up in Texas and, when I moved up to New York, I met up with my family here, and my cousins all played guitar. I guess I kinda learned from them, and went on to play in a band, you know?"
George, a short order cook here at Skidmore, plays guitar in a local skate punk band called Buzzard, which just released its eponymous debut album a couple of months back, recorded by the infamous New York hardcore producer Don Fury. He's toured the country as a roadie a couple of times, and is as proud of his musical endeavors as he is of the pizzas he makes behind the glass at Supremo's.
He's not the only one. Jeff Ayers, another short order cook, has played violin since he was in elementary school. His band, Skeletons in the Piano, just released its second album, which was also produced by Don Fury.
"I played mostly classical stuff until I was 16, when I went nuts - I couldn't take classical anymore. So my best friend and I started a metal band, Lore. We played around New York for the better part of a decade - we even played CBGB's, and were ranked No. 13 on www.mp3.com in 1999. After the band broke up, I took a couple years off, but now I'm back at it, playing keyboards and violin in Skeletons."
As I make my way around the Dining Hall, chatting with the cooks, I begin to realize that nearly all of them have at least dabbled in some sort of artistic discipline on the side.
Brian Burr, a dishwasher, and Jason Kerry, a roundsman in the Spa, play together in the local metal band Alchemy of Time. Simon Grimes, a short order cook, just released a hip-hop album under the name Pete Pluto.
Stew Swart, a cook, Peterson Cross, a short order cook and Ben Niese, a senior cook, are all visual artists. Joey Cavalier, the senior cook at Emily's and host of the Chefdad 2000 Show, majored in art during college, had his own band for a while and roadied for several bands, including the Replacements, for a number of years. Mary Ellen O'Connell is a photographer. Trish Eddy makes jewelry. The list goes on and on.
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