BU Today Sessions: Milk

Return of popular series featuring BU’s best musicians

March 31, 2014
13
Twitter Facebook

It’s 11:50 on a Saturday morning at Dean Elmore’s house, and the band Milk has just arrived for load-in for “BU Today Sessions,” a professional 10 minutes early. Inside, the video crew is running late.

Keyboardist Samuel Taber (CAS’13), drummer Jesse Galkowski (COM’13), bassist Luke Savoca (CAS’13), and singer-guitarist Matthew Brady (CAS’14) leave their backline of amps outside and enter quietly. In honor of the occasion, Brady comes dressed in a Star Wars–themed T-shirt printed by Spitzer Space Telescope’s folk-acoustic alter ego, Dan McDonald (CFA’10), one of the performers of the inaugural “BU Today Sessions” from 2008.

“Back when we were just getting started, we all used to listen and look up to Spitzer,” says Brady. “We used to watch him play ‘River Styx’ on ‘BU Today Sessions.’ We all thought that song was phenomenal.”

Milk’s performance kicks off this year’s “BU Today Sessions,” shot entirely on location at the home of Kenneth Elmore (SED’87), dean of students, and featuring performances by musicians, bands, and songwriters from the BU community.

Listen to “When I Go Home” by Milk.

Milk began five years ago as a collaboration between Brady and Galkowski, who were neighbors at Warren Towers. A year later, Savoca and Taber joined in on the band’s clandestine practices in CAS 424, and the lineup was solidified. “We obtained one of those rolling yellow carts,” recalls Taber. “We used to ship the equipment into the elevator at CAS late at night. The custodians all dug it; they’d come in and give us the thumbs-up. We’d move out of the way when they needed to clean the whiteboard, and we’d move everything back.”

Taber admires the tastefully decorated living room that serves as the day’s venue. “To find nice spaces like at 808 Comm Ave, and to use Dean Elmore’s house,” he says, “it’s a positive thing for the arts community at BU.”

Milk rips through three songs from the group’s upcoming album, Et in Arcadia, showcasing arrangements they describe as a matured and cohesive evolution from their previous efforts. “I think that in the early days, we would hack away at our instruments until something sounded okay, and then write a song around it,” Brady says. “Today our focus on the new music is 10 times what it was from our earlier songs.”

Check out BU Today over the next few weeks as we feature four more new installments of “BU Today Sessions.”

loading slideshow...

  • Matthew Brady (CAS’14)

    Guitar, Lead Vocals

  • Jesse Galkowski (COM’13)

    Drums, Vocals

  • Luke Savoca (CAS’13)

    Bass, Vocals

  • Samuel Taber (CAS’13)

    Keyboard, Piano, Vocals

This Series

Explore Related Topics:

  • Share this story
  • 13 Comments Add

Share

BU Today Sessions: Milk

Share

  • Natasha Moustache

    Natasha Moustache Profile

Comments & Discussion

Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 13 comments on BU Today Sessions: Milk

  1. Of course, none of “BU’s best musicians” are actually in School of Music, where students dedicate their every breath at BU to music… Some random, rich kids trump us here, I guess. Rich kids with nice gear that just do this “music” stuff “on the side.”

    Reply
    Link

    2. I agree it’s a bad title, but don’t get so full of yourself man. Yes there are very good musicians in the school of music, there are some very successful alums and some very promising students. Many of them may have more skill and understanding than these guys, but it should never be a competition. A large number of the Boston Symphony members have either spent some time here or teach here…there is a current student who is playing with them this week. I agree that the title is pretty sensational, largely unwarranted, but if you find it offensive I have to question how secure you are in your own esteem (I am assuming you are a musician). “Best” is not a term that should be applied to music…we only make music that is true to ourselves

      Reply
      Link

    3. Hard to see the value of your opinion when you make irrelevant blanket statements about other people’s financial status.

      Sounds good milk, proud of you guys.

      Reply
      Link

    4. You don’t have to major in music to play music. Most people don’t want to make it their career because it’s a tough business to profit in and get a steady paycheck. I’ve been playing in bands for 10 years but never once thought about majoring in music. Does that make me rich because I play music on the side? No. Does that make me less talented? No.

      Your statement is invalid on so many levels

      Reply
      Link

    6. What a fallacious statement. You know nothing about how much time or dedication these musicians have put into what they do or about the financial situation from which they come.
      A person’s major is not indicative of whether or not they are the “best.”
      Also, they fact that you put “music” in quotations is amusing. This band is exceptional.

      Reply
      Link

  3. Yet, the original poster raises one good issue. I opened this expected to read about the CFA kids. When an university has a prominent School Of Music, you think they would want to support it. At least a little.

    There is a difference in playing in a band and training as a classical musician, yes. Maybe the next session will expand and support the CFA.

    Reply
    Link

  4. As a point of information, both CFA students/groups and non-CFA students/groups participated in what was a day-long shoot to get multiple videos to showcase arts around campus. You will see CFA students in future segments, as well as non-CFA students.

    Reply
    Link

Post a comment.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest from BU Today