Courtesy | Aidan Cyrus
The Boondocks – with its sweeping, pillared porch, its garden of cigarettes, and proximity to the best burgers in town – has housed members of the Phi Mu Alpha Music fraternity for the past few years. Of its residents, junior Will Smith and senior John Szczotka make up a third of the band Art Morgan and the Rum Runners. All of the band’s members are a part of Phi Mu Alpha, one of two music fraternities on campus — although membership was not a prerequisite to joining the band. “Over the summer I wanted to make a band,” Szczotka said. “I didn’t really want to play in a band with people who aren’t the best. They don’t have to be Phi Mus or my friends, but that’s a plus.”
The look of Phi Mu has changed in recent years. From vinyl, cigarettes, and the Smiths, to Vulfpeck, vapes, and a couple Phi Mu-related releases on Spotify, the Phi Mu brand is evolving. However, one thing has remained a constant: a band name involving an alcohol, and an alcohol-related object.
“It started way back when, before I was a freshman here,” Szczotka said.
The original band was Deaf Davey and the Wineboxes, later shortened to the Wineboxes.” The current band, Art Morgan and the Rum Runners has continued the lineage of Phi Mu rock bands, including the previous iterations of Dick Whiskey and the Short Stacks, Roger Scotch and the Highballs, and Gin Henry and the Tonic Hammers. Although each year a new iteration of the Phi Mu rock band appears, both in crew and in alcoholic beverage, the idea remains the same. Name. Alcohol. Object.
“It’s a mantle people assume,” Szczotka said.
The band has played house shows throughout the year, but their favorite was their Welcome Party set. Will Smith explained.“The set itself went really well. It was a lot of fun. We did not actually rehearse as a full band until the day before Welcome Party. ”
“A lot of the heavy lifting on set building falls on Will and I,” John continued. “But we let Michael pick some songs because we know he’ll kill it.” Their talented lead guitarist, sophomore Michael Thelen, had never played in a band before joining the Rum Runners.
“I got a facebook message saying, ‘Hey we got a band do you want to play,”’ Thelen said. The rest is history.
(That’s how The National also got together believe it or not.)
The next two members of the band are junior Drew Godsell on drums, and junior Shane Smith on bass. “It’s nice to have a rhythm section as agreeable as Drew and Shane,” Szczotka said. “Although Drew could be roasting us on Jodel,” Will Smith said.
The final member of the group, who was unable to interview, is junior Jack Rinehart, who plays the saxophone, and is affectionately known, in certain circles, as “Saxy Jack.”
But what is Phi Mu? “Not a lot of people know. It’s a music fraternity, an actual fraternity,” Smith said. Contrary to what most of campus believes, they are not Mu Alpha — another male music group beloved for their fedoras and trench coats.
They exist “for the advancement of music in America,” Will Smith said. Or more specifically, the advancement of music at Hillsdale. “Anything that happens in music at some point has touched someone in the fraternity,” Szczotka explained. “Even if they are borrowing equipment, there’s still something there. It’s kind of a cool, underground thing.”
However, the fraternity wants to broaden their scope. “Under new President Biscaro, we are trying to be more high-key,” Will Smith said — but declined to divulge what specifically they have in store.
They cite their musical backgrounds as reasons for being able to pull the set off.
“John is an amazing vocalist, drummer, jazz voice, choral voice, and musical theater voice. Drews is an awesome jazz drummer. Shane is in the orchestra. I have classical training. Michael’s a god on guitar,” Will Smith said.
The group has only been playing for a semester, but because of their backgrounds and general artistic development through the fraternity, they feel as if they “are pretty in sync with each other,” according to Thelen.
The only concerning activity surrounding the band was Drew Godsell’s old twitter, which is full of pictures of Grant Boyes eating. Godsell settled these concerns simply stating, “BFGB.” Or, in common Non-Simpsonite language, Bring Fat Grant Back. Amen brother.
The group is looking to play house shows this semester and gearing up for CHP and other big events.
Fast Facts
Describe the band in a word –
Will Smith: Fun
Drew Godsell: Amazing
Shane Smith: Diverse
John Szczotka: Gas
Michael Thelen: Energized
Rank these food-related bands:
Cake
Meatloaf
The Cranberries
Limp Bizkit
Korn
Bona Nota from Smith: “I could see Drew being an undercover Korn fan. Freak on a leash,” Smith said.
Best grub in town – Burgers Unlocked. It’s a steal.
