Bands Banned? Student Bands and Student Fans Respond to University Crackdown

Bryce Russell | Arts and Entertainment Editor

Lauren McCarty | Contributing Writer

(The Buzzards play for a crowd on Alberta Street on April 8, 2024, celebrating the total solar eclipse (photo courtesy of Bryce Russell)

The issue of live music in the University of Dayton’s Student Neighborhood has been an ongoing one (just check out our article on the problem published in November of 2022). Whether it be due to noise complaints or safety concerns, the University does not authorize student bands to play on UD property, which includes houses in the Student Neighborhood. Bands getting shut down across campus is nothing new, with many bands having stories of being shut down by campus police if their concert goes late into the night. Because of this, bands around campus have typically begun to start their concerts sooner in the day, so that they can wrap up by 10:30 or 11:00 PM.  

Ian Smith, bass player and lead singer of the Buzzards said, “We usually [end] around 10 to 11. We’ve always preferred to start early so clean-up doesn’t go late into the night, but I’d say [getting shut down] has probably encouraged other bands to start earlier.”

However, over the last couple of weeks, there has been a student uproar concerning the pre-emptive cancellation of a planned student concert on the 400 block of Lowes Street that was set to take place from 6:30 to 10:30. The joint performance from four different bands of UD students was deemed “Lowestock”, and was intended to happen on September 21st, the Saturday of Family Weekend.

With the enjoyment and energetic atmosphere bands provide across campus, it seemed like the perfect way to showcase the different genres of music each group offers to parents and family visiting their students. 

Instead of having to walk all over the neighborhood to see each band separately, as well as having to choose what band to go see with your family, “Lowestock” allowed for four of UD’s bands to be in the same area with no overlap, and ample space for each band to have their own gear set up so that as soon as one performance ended, another could begin.

“Lowestock was essentially a second iteration of something we did in the spring, where we had four bands booked to play hour-long sets each,” Ellis Dunn, who organized Lowestock, told Flyer News. “We had two stages, basically when one band was done on Stage A another band would play on Stage B. Constant music, essentially good vibes.”

With creating Lowestock, Ellis and other students were hoping to show parents and family what makes UD special (and one of UD’s core values): Community. 

“I think that live music on our campus promotes the sense of community among students that the University tries so hard to promote,” said Cole Buschmeyer, lead singer and guitarist for Halftime, one of the bands scheduled to play Lowestock. “I think I speak for most students when I say that the part of UD that makes it home to so many is the feeling that you are part of something bigger than just a place where you go to school. Playing live music and backyard concerts allows students to share their passions and talents with their peers. For me, it’s about expressing the joy that I get from the music with the crowd. I want people to get the amazing feeling I get when I play guitar.”

This point was echoed by other musicians who talked to Flyer News. “Live music is important everywhere, let alone to this campus,” Ian Smith told us. “Music coming from its organic source – drums, amplifiers, guitars – has a certain quality that feels good for the soul. When a gathering of people can share in the experience of music in its most volatile, natural state, that’s special. It’s even more special when the people in the band are your peers,” he told Flyer News.

Casey Hippel, lead singer for Yard Sale, told Flyer News, “Live music has been paramount of my experience as a UD student as a peaceful backdrop and celebration of student life. At the dozens of shows I have seen across campus during my four years, I have never seen it interfere with student life or erupt into violence or destruction of property. If anything, it has occupied students peaceably and empowered them to avoid alcohol-related activities and events like drinking games, crate races, and the like.”

“UD needs live music,” Justin Mitra, bass player for Carpool, told Flyer News. “Upon attending the University, the importance of community is instilled into our minds as freshmen. Because of this, the community has grown to be a place of support. Live bands on campus help strengthen that principle in the community. Music is a powerful medium that has the ability to bring all types of people together. Live music sets provide a free space for students to converse and relax in the midst of their academic priorities. This is where bonds are formed, this is where community is strengthened.”

 In regards to UD’s theme of community, Ellis Dunn told Flyer News this: “I think at the end of the day, ‘community’ is the most common word to describe this school, and I think that’s because of the events students host where we come together and everyone is so welcoming.”

(Cole Bushmeyer sings and plays guitar during a Halftime performance for a crowd of students)

(photo courtesy of Cole Bushmeyer)

Most of the frustration for bands and fans alike has been, from what band members and students feel, is vague rules and a lack of clarity around events from Public Safety and the University.

When Ellis Dunn got a call from the school telling him he had a meeting, he was going into it with the idea it would be an open conversation and he would be working with Public Safety to make the event fun and safe for all students and family.

Instead, he says he “Met with the campus police captain, and he said to me ‘Do you know what you’re doing with an event like this?’” Dunn continued, “I mentioned our successful event from last spring ‘Lowesfest’, where cops were present and didn’t shut it down. I told them we just wanted to host another event like this for parents’ weekend, and they said that anything that went wrong with the event would be on me, if any people from outside the University came that would be my responsibility, and basically that I was putting my diploma on the line because they would suspend me if I put on this event.”

When asked if communication from the University regarding live music performance has been clear, Ian Smith said the communication has been vague and confusing. 

“I’ve been in bands here for nearly three years. We’ve had shows where the whole thing goes as planned, shows where cops arrived and shut us down, and shows where cops arrived but just to watch. We’ve been given vague directions of varying advice from different police officers. For many of the shows that get shut down, I believe it’s noise complaints from the locals near campus. Other times, officers refuse to give a reason or cite which statute is being violated. It can be pretty confusing for the band community, which really just wants to make music, not break rules.”

“It would make a lot more sense if these noise/party nuisance ordinances were enforced uniformly in terms of the areas of campus and times of day targeted,” Casey Hippel said, “but it has been quite the contrary, with toothless ultimatums of suspensions and fines without a decibel reader and the general rule of ‘noise beyond 25 feet’ rule, which is hardly ever extended to the PA equipment of DJ sets of similar setup and comparable volume. Expectations for bands have not been communicated clearly. In many instances, it has been claimed to be an all-out ban by enforcing officers, other times the ArtStreet Amphitheater option has been touted, and by indiscriminately shutting down bands during the day but not at night, or at night and not during the day has made it all the more confusing for bands to navigate their expectations from the University.”

The University has communicated that bands have the ability to book the Art Street Amphitheater. However, many bands don’t feel that this option put forward by the University is feasible. When Flyer News talked to Cole Buschmeyer about this scheduling process, he said the cost and red tape that bands are forced to go through to play Art Street Amphitheater simply “isn’t feasible for a band made up of college kids.” He laid out the process for us.

“First, the band must be sponsored by a University-approved department or organization for the event. A band can then fill out the ArtStreet reservation request form on the website. The event times must fall within the normal operating hours of the Brook Center, which are Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The space is closed on Saturdays.”

If the band decides to play during these times, which many do not as they feel the times offered don’t allow them to play for fellow students, the band must then complete the ArtStreet Amphitheater agreement, which requires the following for live music performances. Certain points of the agreement many bands feel they are unable to fulfill, a few of which are: 

• Full band shows (two or more people) are responsible for hiring a company to run sound for them.
• Agree that if three or more bands are performing, the organizer will need to hire security and request snow fencing from Facilities for crowd management, and the cost of the expenses will be billed directly to the organizer.
• All content must be “radio-friendly” and be acceptable for an all-ages show.
• Name of sponsoring department or organization (as said earlier, bands must be sponsored by a department or university-recognized organization to play the ArtStreet Amphitheater.

The cost of putting on a show can also not be recouped by the band, as they must agree not to charge an admission fee for the concert. “You can clearly see that this is not a process that is suitable for the ability and funding of most of the bands on campus,” Buschmeyer added.

“[I] definitely feel that the University is against us when our only alternative is playing an approval-based show with a supervisor at the ArtStreet Amphitheater,” Hippel continued, “where we are not allowed to monetize our talents, cater to an event, and have to pay for fencing and PA equipment at our expense to host an event that is non-acoustic and has more than two members participating in the performance.”

When it comes to student-university collaboration, student bands have expressed their want and willingness to work with the University. 

“Although multiple shows have been stopped around campus, there has not been a formal notice written or communicated,” Justin Mitra told Flyer News. “Hopefully with this increasing trend, we’ll see some parameters set by the University.” From the bands Flyer News talked to, this was a common theme. They feel the school needs to be more willing to work with bands to come to a clear set of rules that provide students with an environment that provides both a safe environment for students and a space for them to share their love of music with their fellow Flyers.

With student safety as the primary concern, Ian Smith of the Buzzards had this to say: “Incidental cases of underage drinking and other forms of general stupidity will happen at any party, be it a band, DJ, or a $20 bluetooth speaker providing the music.” 

When Ellis Dunn went into his meeting, he was “Looking to go in and then say ‘We will work with you to have police there so that the event goes well.’ Instead they were saying that if I host this event anyone that comes in and breaks stuff is my responsibility, and we will charge you or suspend you, which was very frustrating. They mentioned the amount of safety emails that have gone out this year, which I feel is fair. However, it’s not the students’ fault that people come into our campus and cause problems, that’s not our responsibility.”

In any case, the support for student bands from other students on campus is immense. “The best example of [UD community] is the bands. The ability to just walk down the street, hear music, and walk into a backyard and have a good time, without even having to know anybody. That is a great way we meet and celebrate as a community. If they’re going to shut something down, that’s the last thing UD should worry about,” added Dunn.

(Carpool play a show surrounded by a crowd of fans in UD’s South Neighborhood)

(photo courtesy of Carpool Instagram)

Mia Cappuccitti-Gutierrez, lead singer of Carpool, told us, “Bands and music are the reason I fell in love with the University of Dayton. UD wasn’t exactly at the top of my list for institutions I wanted to attend, but my dad (being an alum), dragged me down for a visit one weekend and after sitting on his old porch on Lowes singing along to the live band next door on that Friday night, I decided then and there that I was going to graduate from this place.”

The bands and fellow students understand the issue of public safety at their shows. “The support from students here is palpable,” Ian Smith told us, “I’ll get stopped by a Buzzards fan asking when and where we’ll be playing next. I don’t think the University is against us, though. I understand that there are liabilities concerned with large gatherings in general. When something like ‘Woodstock on Woodland’ or ‘Lowestock’ gets on UD’s radar, they’re kind of forced to take some sort of action. Is shutting the whole thing down the right answer? I’m not sure.”

Aila Carr-Chellman, Student Body President of the University of Dayton, told Flyer News, “The primary concern for the University is safety. Bands sometimes attract large gatherings that are difficult to monitor safely. With that said, there are many people at UD, including Student Government, that are seeking a path forward with live music that is rooted in our traditions as a community, and guarantees safety for students.

(Yard Sale rock out in the UD South Neighborhood (photo courtesy of Yard Sale Instagram)

Ian Smith summed up many of the bands’ feelings when he told FlyerNews, “My hope for the future is the student bands, the University, and the police will string together a set of guidelines for those looking to host ‘band parties,’ to keep them lawful and as safe as possible.”