Campus Concert Series interviewed, Bryan Rahija, who graduated Duke in 2006 and is currently playing in Bombadil, the Durham based band that is currently touring nationally.

CCS: How did you become involved in the local music scene?

Bryan: My band wanted to play shows outside of Duke so I began contacting other bands to try and set up a few shows in Durham. After I graduated I joined a community marching band, The Scene of the Crime Rovers.

CCS: Were there any hoops you had to overcome, both as a band and audience member that could be improved upon?

Bryan: This might sound silly, but local musicians in general tend to be older and a lot cooler than me, so at first I was shy and hesitant to approach them. I realized though that people in bands in general really like talking about music and really appreciate about it if you like their music. Transportation was occasionally an issue as well being of legal age, but CCS has done a great thing by bringing bands to the Armadillo Grill and eliminating those two factors. I think though that it is still important to leave campus and show your support--if you want to be part of a community then you are going to have to go venture out into it.

CCS: What did you find most appealing about local artists? Why local music?

Bryan: The more shows I went to the more I realized just how talented the people in local bands are and just how good the music is. After seeing a string of disappointing shows by national touring artists, I realized the folks around here aren't just 'good local bands'...they are straight up 'good bands.'

There are a lot of factors that go into whether or not a band can tour nationally and the 'quality' of the music and the performance is a very small part. It's also cool to know the same person that is creating this awesome music is the same person that pours you a drink at Dain's or that you see in the library occasionally.

CCS: Do you think that students don't go to more local concerts because Durham is supposedly a dangerous or sketchy place?

Bryan: It's important to be aware of your surroundings, but I really don't buy that excuse. Duke Coffeehouse is on East Campus. Broad Street Cafe is safely nestled between East Campus, Whole Foods, and a boarding high school that specializes in teaching math and science. Dain's is on 9th street and James Joyce on Main St. All of these places are surrounded by establishments that are well-populated with Duke students and have parking spaces 50 feet from the front door. And that's just in Durham...Chapel Hill has 4 or 5 great places to see music on Franklin St. alone. Somehow Durham has gotten a bad rap as a city, but I think you might make the argument that the Duke campus is actually a more hazardous place.

CCS: What are the best resources that you've used for students to find out about concerts in the area?

Bryan: I've never seen another newspaper or weekly that matches The Independent's commitment and devotion to local music. trianglerock.com is another great resource. Both are very informative and often quite funny. The folks in the Diversions section of the Daily Tar Heel are also up to some really good things (step it up Chronicle!).

CCS: What advice would you give to aspiring duke bands?

Bryan: If you are serious about having a career in music, get involved in the local community any way you can...volunteer for WXDU, go to Troika Music Festival, go to shows, read the papers, email bands, work to bring other bands on campus, talk to other bands, show your support. A fanbase almost always starts at home but Duke is only temporary; AND you can learn a lot by pursuing those other avenues. Don't worry about it if someone tells you your music is no good, just keep at it. Take things slow. Don't expect to get lucky. Oh, and it is impossible to overstate the value of being punctual and of not being a jerk.

CCS: should academic departments be involved in promoting local musicians?

Bryan: That's a nice thought. I think the bigger picture is to get the entire Duke machine re-oriented to the greater Durham community--in any capacity that it can. Maybe things are different now, but where were the guest lectures by local government officials or local think tank analysts in my public policy classes? Where is the local section of the Chronicle? I think there's a tendency for Duke to set its sights to the highest mark possible mark and accept nothing less--whether training students to be rising stars on Wall Street or in Washington or whether it's vying for Oprah as commencement speaker--but let's not forget that we have really interesting things going on just down the street.