Local rock stars graced the stage – and stole the show – when they opened for reggae rock band Sublime With Rome.
The Brookdale Rock Band performed at a show that was held at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. The concert was headlined by Sublime With Rome and scheduled in part with the Asbury Park Music and Film Festival.
During the April 28 performance, 12 Brookdale Community College students played covers of classic rock songs. The students said they tapped into the knowledge they obtained from the seats of their college classroom in order to put on a once-in-a-lifetime show.
The band members who make up the Brookdale Rock Band are Jeff Serrano, Evan Leifman, Delgira Samtonova, Andrew Agosta, Jonathan Rodriguez, David Bass, Peter Benigno, Matthew DeConie, Ryan Gordon, Jack Santoro, Joseph Smith and Kevin Nenkov.
The musicians are students from Brookdale Community College’s rock band course. The outline of the music program at the Lincroft school allows students to develop their abilities within the boundaries of a controlled environment.
Professor Jeffrey Mahajan – who regularly mans the guitar and microphone in the band – is the master behind the music, according to his students.
“The first couple of times we had the class, we sat down and told each other what are strengths were. We told each other what we played and what we sang,” Serrano said. “We tried to figure out songs that would be best for everyone. When we got the setlist down, we went over chords and harmonies. Eventually, everything came together.”
Samtonova, a vocalist, said she enrolled in the course to combat her stage fright.
“I enrolled in this course to gain experience working with a band,” Samtonova said. “ I’ve never been in a band before. I wanted to take this opportunity to explore this option. I wanted to take this time to expose myself and work on my fear of performing. This class has been helping me a lot. I wanted to be around musical energy and people who love music. I have gained confidence from this course.”
The constructive criticism offered by Mahajan takes the place of letter grades. Leifman said the tangible alternative is a better fit for individual development.
As students strive to master different instruments and tap into their vocal capabilities, they said the feedback offered by Mahajan has proven to be essential to their growth as artists.
“I think that it is important as a teacher to encourage your students. He [Mahajan] definitely does that. He not only points out your weak spots, but he points out your strengths. It makes us feel good as students to know that we are on the right path,” Samtonova said.
A quarter of the students – Serrano, Leifman, Bass and Nenkov – had taken the elective course the first semester it was offered. Now in its second semester, the students continue their involvement in what they refer to as a “passion project”. Students said they will not receive any credits for enrollment in a course they already had completed.
Serrano said the conclusions drawn from the first semester set the tone for the course thereafter.
“I had actually been in a band previously,” Leifman said. “In May of 2017, we disbanded, so I joined the rock band class. I joined the band for two reasons. I wanted to make connections with people and maybe find some people who I would want to start a new band with. And also, I wanted to get back out on the stage because I really missed playing music and being up on a stage.”
The students played three shows throughout the spring semester. Opening for Sublime With Rome was the pinnacle of their classroom experience, they said.
“Opening for Sublime was unbelievable. Your mind is racing. After you leave the stage, you’re like, what just happened? It’s a moment I’ll cherish. I’m really grateful to our teacher for hooking us up with this gig,” Samtonova said.
According to the students, a humble demeanor comes with the territory.
“We had weeks and weeks of preparation. When we first started practicing, we would get halfway through a song and realize that we screwed up. We’d have to start all over again. We realized that if we screwed up while we were doing it live, we can’t stop during a performance. Keeping that mentality helped us out,” Serrano said.
“It’s cool when you bring your family and they say, ‘You guys did good.’ But when complete strangers come up to you and say, ‘You guys are amazing,’ that, to me, made me feel so good. I feel like I accomplished something,” he continued.
The students played covers of “Wild Thing” by Jimi Hendrix; “Cats in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin; “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton; and a medley of Blink 182 songs. Samtonova said Mahajan chose the setlist for their concert at Convention Hall.
“We had no say in it,” Samtonova laughed. “As a professor and as a musician, he chose what he felt was best. He chose the songs that he felt we were best prepared for. It was smart for him to choose because he has been observing us,” she said.
The students said they remain optimistic about their future as a group. For now, they plan to keep their tentative title as the Bookdale Rock Band.
“This class has taught me that I can do more than I thought I would be able to do,” Leifman said.
