Rock Band club, new to Algonquin this semester, brings back the popular video game from a few years ago to students who want to spend their Friday nights rocking out.
“Not everyone likes to unwind by the means of drinking and carrying on,” said Robert McEachem, a first-year child youth worker student and the club’s leader.
According to McEachem, Rock Band club is not a college student’s typical Friday night. It’s a social hangout for shy people where students can blow off steam caused by the stress of college life.
The club meets every Friday evening at 5 p.m. in E-building, room 206. So far, the same handful of people have been showing up week after week. But McEachem hopes that with almost 20 members in their Facebook group, more will start to show up soon.
McEachem brings his console along with all the attachments to school to share his love for Rock Band with others. He has a drum set, a microphone and two guitars.
Guitars are McEachem’s favourite instrument, and it shows as he plays in expert mode. He plans on adding a keyboard to his arsenal of video game instruments in the future. He has a variety of over 500 songs to choose from in his music library. There’s something for everyone, McEachem emphasized.
It’s a laid back environment with no judgment.
One week, a student came in just to sing the Bee Gees’ song Stayin’ Alive and then left right after. The club’s regular singer, however, is Grace Parayaoan, a 19-year-old University of Ottawa student, who comes to Rock Band club to get out of residence and enjoy a change of scenery. Her favourite songs to sing are any pop songs or anything by Paramore.
Rock Band club will continue to be held every Friday night until the end of the semester. McEachem said that he’s hopeful more people will start showing up. But even if they don’t, what he really cares about is that the people who are there are having fun.