Run to Sandy
by Ariana Albarella
Communication is an integral part of life. The ability to listen to and relay information and emotion is a key component to human understanding.
Dr. Jonathan Millen, professor of communication and associate dean of liberal arts, education and sciences, embodies this notion. He not only dedicates his time to teaching students how each aspect of society interacts with one another, but he also expresses himself and connects through music.
For more than 10 years, Millen has been the drummer of a band that he co-created called Run to Sandy. The name stems from the street that the band members lived on, Sandy Run.
“In my neighborhood, it turned out that there were a bunch of guys my age, all of whom had this rock fantasy,” Millen said. “So we just started jamming and started writing.”
The band plays all over the Philadelphia area and their music can be found on iTunes.
“It’s been a blast,” Millen said. “A real dream come true kind of thing.”
While they play covers occasionally, most venues the band frequents require that original work is performed. When writing together, Millen said that it’s a collaborative effort among all members.
“A lot of times, somebody will just come with a riff and I’ll say ‘well I’ve got some words that might work there,’” Millen said. “A lot of it is organic.”
Alongside his involvement with Run to Sandy, Millen has recently joined another band named Rule Six, a departure from Millen’s classic rock style as they tend to play more alternative rock, dance and pop music covers.
The part he plays in both groups has given Millen the opportunity to relate his profession to his passion.
“When I’m in a class, I’m the lead singer and the drummer and the bass player. When I’m onstage, I can only control my piece so when I screw up, it’s on me,” Millen said. “If someone else screws up, it’s not on me, but I can’t fix it. It’s similar in that when it works, there’s nothing like it and when it’s bad, it’s bad.”
For Millen, the most rewarding aspect of being in a band is seeing their creations come to life.
“To see a song from start to finish and then be playing it and to be onstage and saying ‘we wrote this thing’ and then to see someone getting off on it at the same time is pretty remarkable,” Millen said.
Run to Sandy will be performing a free show for anyone 21 and older at John and Peter’s in New Hope on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 3-6 p.m.
Rule Six will be playing a show for all ages at Fran’s in New Hope on Saturday, Nov. 22 from 8-11 p.m.
- Facebook – Run to Sandy
- Reverbnation – Run to Sandy
- Myspace – Run to Sandy
- Youtube
- [youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9adltaW_Rw[/youtube]
- [youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_17S74tTDPo[/youtube]
- Facebook – Rule Six
