eLearners News is edited by Steve Foerster.
Steve has worked in higher education for nearly ten years, both as a staff person specializing in eLearning and international higher education, and as an adjunct instructor, designing and teaching online courses in IT and business.
He's also an eLearner himself, having completed a Bachelor's degree from Charter Oak State College and a Master's degree from George Washington University, both thanks to eLearning.
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College is a time of big dreams and limitless potential. For many students, this means an accounting major and doing weird things to get into a fraternity. But for some, this means joining a band, which can lead to weird things (read Mötley Crüe's The Dirt for a reference point). Success for most of those bands means playing the main quad for Spring Fling but some make it all the way to the top. Check out these examples:
While a student at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, Donald Fagen heard classmate Walter Becker practicing his guitar in a cafe and immediately asked if he wanted to be in a band together. The duo played in several bands together (including one which included Chevy Chase on drums) before moving to Brooklyn in 1969, where they wrote songs and became a part of the touring group for Jay and the Americans. Eventually, they formed Steely Dan, had huge success in the 1970s and, putting out the Grammy-winning Two Against Nature in 2000 after a 20-year recording hiatus, proved they still have the chops.
Like Fagen and Becker, R.E.M lead singer Michael Stipe and guitarist Peter Buck initially bonded over their love of artists, including Patti Smith and The Velvet Underground, in this case at the record store where Buck worked. Hooking up with bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, who were fellow University of Georgia students, they grew to be first one of the biggest modern rock bands of the 80s and then one of the most popular rock bands, period, of the 1990s. Known equally for their roles as activists as well as musicians, R.E.M. took the world by storm with hit albums including Out of Time, Automatic for the People, and Monster. Though not enjoying the same level of success since Berry left in 1997, the band continues to put out solid records, are still celebrated here and sales-wise, especially in Europe. As one of the creators of alternative rock, R.E.M. was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Although Hootie and the Blowfish exploded into the mainstream music scene in 1994, their formation actually happened eight years earlier at the University of South Carolina.
Lead singer Darius Rucker and lead guitarist Mark Bryan lived in the same dormitory during their freshman year of college, After Bryan heard Rucker singing in the showers, the two began to jam together, proving that more can be gained from dorm showers than a tricky case of Athlete's foot. Eventually, they added Dean Felber on bass and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld on drums and, named after two choir mates of Rucker, Hootie was born. The band has never come close to matching the success of Cracked Rear View (over 16 million copies sold) but between touring, solo careers, and golf, the guys keep quite busy.
Friends Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti decided to form a band while studying at Florida State University. The result was a rock super-power that sold 35 million albums worldwide, not to mention Stapp's Jesus complex.
Although the band broke up in 2004 after Stapp's epic meltdown, Tremonti and fellow Creed alumni Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips formed Alter Bridge with singer Myles Kennedy. They continue to record and perform, even with the 2009 reunion of the original band.
The 2000s' answer to U2, Coldplay's humble roots can be traced back to orientation week of University College London, 1996.
Front-man Chris Martin met guitarist Johnny Buckland during their first week of school. They soon recruited classmates Guy Berryman (bass) and Will Champion (drums) and Coldplay was formed. Selling over 50 million albums and serving as the soundtrack for yuppies around the world, the band continues to be a giant in the pop/alternative market.
Despite hype man Flava Flav's reputation for being a clown, it makes complete sense that the seeds of Public Enemy were planted in college. Combining funky, innovative beats with intelligent lyrics that tackle everything from racial injustice to the American media, P.E.'s Chuck D and Flav met at Adelphi University's campus radio station in the early 80s. Officially becoming a group in 1986, they went on to become one of the most influential hip hop acts around and their second release, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, is regarded by many as one of the best rap albums of all time. The self-proclaimed "Rolling Stones of Hip-Hop," P.E. still record and perform to this day.
Columbia University, one of the finest and most esteemed institutions of higher learning, is responsible for some of the world's brightest minds. Alexander Hamilton, President Barack Obama, and… the dudes from Vampire Weekend? Lead singer and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio, with majors including English, music, economics, and Russian and Eurasian Regional studies, formed the band close to towards the end of their time there in 2006. With heavy influence from African popular music and the blessing of many music blogs, have quickly become darlings of the indie rock genre.
For a band that had children sing the line "We don't need no education" Pink Floyd sure are full of bologna. Founded in 1965, original members Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and Syd Barrett met as students at London's Regent Street Polytechnic (both Waters and Mason studied architecture). The band has gone through a lot over the years, first with Barrett's mental instability (and departure in 1968), legal issues and woes between Waters and Floyd's other leader, David Gilmour. However, they have appeared together a couple of times over the years in the name of charity (most prominently for 2005's Live 8). Regardless, with concept albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall alone, Pink Floyd is regarded as one of the finest and most important bands of all time.
Considered by many to be the jam band and filling a void for Deadheads all over, Phish actually got their start as students at the University of Vermont. Trey Anastasio and company's first gig was a Halloween party in the basement of the ROTC dormitory. The guys used hockey sticks in place of mic stands and, in what can only be described as an act of idiocy and as well as showing the inability to spot raw talent, an attendee put on Michael Jackson's Thriller to drown the band out (though at least it wasn't Jermaine Jackson's Let Me Tickle Your Fancy). Despite practically being ignored by commercial radio and MTV, with their legendary live shows, love of improvisation, and encouragement of bootlegging, Phish have one the most loyal and large fan bases in music today.
Not known for their "street-ness," Daryl Hall and John Oates actually met while escaping gunfire at a Philadelphia club (and no it wasn't someone from the future trying to prevent She's Gone from happening). Realizing they'd both be attending Temple University, the duo became fast friends and roommates and formed Hall & Oates two years later. Though often a punch-line (obviously yours truly is guilty of this), with hits like Sara Smile and Man-eater, the guys were a monster force in pop-rock and blue-eyed soul in the 70s and 80s.
One of the quintessential, post-punk New York bands, Interpol has deep roots in NYU. Guitarist Daniel Kessler lived in the same dorm as former drummer Greg Drudy and met ex-bassist (and occasional awesome mustache-grower) Carlos D. in a philosophy class. English and Comparative Literature major Paul Banks became lead singer when he re-connected with Kessler (the two had previously met in a study-abroad program in Paris). Known for their spiffy suits, Interpol is also responsible for indie hits like Untitled and Slow Hands.
Unfortunately, often times an art school diploma is something nice to look at after working a shift at your restaurant gig.
But for New Wave legends Talking Heads, it all started at the Rhode Island School of Design. Singer David Byrne, drummer Chris Franz, and bassist Tina Weymouth met at RISD where Byrne and Franz had a band called The Artistics. After that failed, the three moved to New York City, Weymouth learned bass so she could join, and after developing a strong following at clubs like the legendary CBGB's, guitarist/keyboard player Jerry Harrison joined in 1977. From their debut that same year to their final studio album, Naked in 1988, the band was a true power house. These days, Byrne splits his time between music, visual art, and his pro-cycling activism, Harrison has enjoyed success as a producer (No Doubt) and Franz an Weymouth still tour with their old side project, The Tom Tom Club (best known for their hit, Genius of Love).
Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden were just two freshmen at Wesleyan University who liked to hang out and talk about music. Fast forward to graduating in 2005, at a time when most kids are trying to figure out their next move, the friends were touring as MGMT and opening for Of Montreal. Just a year after that, the group was signed to Columbia Records and now, with three studio albums under their belt and collaborations with the likes of Kid Cudi, MGMT are one of the premiere acts in the alternative rock scene.
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I loved Phish in college. If you're a Phish fan too, watch this: www.youtube.com/watch
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