Rock Bands V. C.

It's Friday night, and the basement of WHRB is hot, dark and crowded. People sway, jump, groove and yell to the sounds of two indie-rock-inspired Harvard bands, Hypertrophie Shitstraw and Mopar.

A couple of young teenagers wander around, and 30-somethings stand against the back wall, but the crowd consists mainly of Harvard students. Harvard students that is who love rock. Some are dressed conservatively, even nicely, while others sport flea-market/Urban Outfitters styles. Everyone here is relaxed, enjoying the music, letting the rhythm reverberate through their bodies. This is the WHRB "Happy Hour."

Meanwhile, at the Fly Club, another assemblage of students packs a hot room. This room is much bigger, however, and the crowd is larger. No 30-somethings or high-schoolers here: Khakis, Levis and button-down shirts prevail, and the keg of cheap beer gets much more attention than WHRB's keg of Sam Adams did.

The band playing here is Smiley's Bone, and the crowd dances wildly. Soon people are packed against the stage so tightly that lead vocalist and guitarist Mike Beys '94 leas out into the audience. Music drifts out to Mt. Auburn St. until 2 a.m., as the floor grows sticker and stickier with beer.