Taylor has a vibrant music scene. Chapel bands, Taylor Sounds, Gospel Choir and more, along with a successful music department, bring joyful noise to campus. But what about the other forms of music? How many commercial bands are actually here on campus, and is there a need for them?
"It's hard to become involved in a band here, because Taylor isn't geared towards bands other than (for) chapel," said sophomore Jeff Janiszewski. A music business major, Janiszewski has been involved with many Taylor music events. His diverse musical experience led him to stints playing guitar in the background for "Godspell" and bass for acts in Reject Show, Nostalgia Night and MyGen.
Janiszewski said that while there are many music events on campus, bands do not come out of them. "You'll have a couple of weeks of intense practicing for events like MyGen and then one night of performing," he said.
Janiszewski mentioned other challenges to forming or being in a band at Taylor. First, there are few good performing venues on campus or in the surrounding community. The Union, while hosting concerts before, is not designed for music. "You have to know the right people to get a gig there," he said. "That's pretty intimidating."
Second, Janiszewski said it's difficult for students to carve out time if music is not their major. He said Taylor's music program is designed for choral and instrumental groups, and generally music students are the only ones involved. "People into modern commercial music usually don't have time for it," he said.
Despite the challenges of forming a band at Taylor, Janiszewski said it's not impossible. He suggested developing a sound instead of imitating the sounds here. "Find something new and see if people like it," he said.
Senior Kris Schonewill found something new with his band, Ringer T. "It's my band from high school," Schonewill said. His brother was the lead guitar player for the band, and when they needed a bass player, Schonewill accepted.
Ringer T has a sound of its own. An interesting mix of acoustic folk, rock and pop, the music reflects the laid-back nature of the band.
Schonewill has been playing bass since sixth grade, along with saxophone and piano. With their father being a worship leader at their church in Michigan, Schonewill and his brother grew up with a musical background. Schonewill was a natural fit when he joined Ringer T.
"Our first legitimate album was just for fun, so we pushed it for media," Schonewill said."We were just looking for some publicity."
The move paid off. Since the licensing of their music, Ringer T's songs have been featured on the Food Network, the PGA Tour, a trailer for the comedy "Sleepwalk with Me" and the Canadian supernatural show "Lost Girl."
Since their high school days, Ringer T has developed a small following and four full-length albums. College, however, has separated the group. The group disbanded for a while, with members spread out across Tennessee, Michigan and Washington.
"Two spring breaks ago we decided to make another album for fun," Schonewill said. The album, "Sorry Verses," has become their most critically acclaimed to date. Independent Clauses, a blog devoted to underappreciated music, stated, "Ringer T leans heavily on their formidable songwriting skills. And with their newfound calm and maturity, they crank out some incredible tunes."
The band is still planning the future together, despite its members being in four different states. "There's a different approach to performing now, since we're not all here together. Over the summer we all play together," Schonewill said. Although separated, the band is in the process of making another album to be released as soon as May. In the meantime, their music is on iTunes, Facebook and ReverbNation.With the success of bands like Ringer T, the Taylor commercial music scene still has hope. Janiszewski said he would like to see it grow even more. "I hope there will be more opportunities for bands and for people to make Taylor an interesting music scene apart from the genre of contemporary Christian," he said.
