MIXED MEDIA (MUSIC): Bazmati Vice Plays On

Ahead of his sophomore year at Haverford, Andrew Szczurek ’16 had a simple request MUSIC on his student housing questionnaire. “I said, ‘Give me some people I can jam with,’ and they delivered!”

John Kerber ’17, Clayton Brandt ’17 and Chris Gibson ’17 were placed in the same apartment with Szczurek, and Kerber says, “We quickly started playing music and writing songs, and by spring we were playing around campus.”

With Kerber on bass, Gibson on drums, Brandt on lead vocals, and Szczurek on electric mandolin (later on keyboards, too), the band christened itself Bazmati Vice and things moved fast—from covering “Under the Bridge” at the Dorm Olympics to playing original songs in Lunt Basement and competing in a Bryn Mawr Battle of the Bands. They added St. Joseph’s University student Chris Jackowski on ule, the band made the most of having to slow guitar, and for the rest of their college years and down. “Our first album was rushed, and the EP on past graduation, straight through to the present we wanted to get out quickly to book more gigs,” day, Bazmati Vice has always prioritized crafting a says Kerber, who is 25 and lives in Philadelphia’s sound and making people move. Fishtown neighborhood with Szczurek and

“The big thing I got from those Haverford and Jackowski. They’d already laid down the tracks Bryn Mawr shows was how much fun it was to get for Onward & Outward, and now they had time to people dancing,” says Kerber. “We’ve tried to keep really hone the songs. that attitude as we moved on to playing in Boston, “We’ve really been refining the mixes,” says Philly, and New York—we want to make music Szczurek, 26. “It’s allowed us to be more detail orithat’s fun and that people can dance to.” ented—I mean, what else were we going to do?”

That sense of fun runs through their self-titled The album will be streaming in the fall, and debut album from 2017, the 2018 Rise EP, and the Bazmati crew is itching to get back on stage. the teaser tracks “Bonehead” and “Burning Blue” “It’s a bummer not being able to play gigs,” from their upcoming record, Onward & Outward. Szczurek says, but he’s hopeful they’ll be able Though Gibson and Brandt are no longer with the to play safe, outdoor shows. And once they can band, a new lineup that includes drummer Eric perform again, Kerber says Bazmati Vice will be Proctor and vocalist Ari Michaels shows the pop- right back to doing what got them together in the ping funk from the initial Red Hot Chili Peppers first place: “Putting on a fun show and getting influence is still there, along with the jammy people dancing.” excitement of Phish and elements of jazz, classic The band’s music is available on Spotify, rock, and contemporary R&B. Apple music, and YouTube. More information:

When COVID-19 zeroed out their gig sched- bazmativice.com —Brian Glaser

Funk/rock quintet Bazmati Vice got its start at Haverford. (From left) Eric Proctor, Ari Michaels, Chris Jackowski, Andrew Szczurek ’16, and John Kerber ’17.