CASEY TRIMM – Concerts are a place where you can dance like nobody’s watching, sing completely off key and be surrounded by people who all share a common interest and passion for music. Among those who admire music is Count Spacey, one of two student organized bands here at Denison.
Are you down for some funk driven, classic rock inspired live entertainment on campus? Meet Count Spacey.
Made up of four members, Count Spacey was formed during the fourth week of school last year. With Zach Litchman ‘20 on drums, Marcos Arnett ‘20 on bass and Chase Whipple ‘18 and Clay White on guitar and vocals, these boys united to create music inspired by rock bands including The Beatles and Grateful Dead.
They met through jazz ensemble, through which they discovered their musical similarities and decided to go through with starting the band. Their first jam sesh was in the Burke Rehearsal Hall, where they played songs like “Beast of Burden” by The Rolling Stones and “Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin.
After their first rehearsal together, they knew that they could really be something special and bring a lively, rock-and-roll vibe to campus.
The band’s first major show took place in the Shepardson Hall basement in early December of last year.
“I remember being a freshman last year and attending the Count Spacey performance in Shep. They played such a great set and really got the crowd going. It was an amazing opportunity to meet new people and vibe to some great music,” said Rachel Weaver ‘20, an environmental studies art history double major from Nashville.
They’ve played at other venues including the Bandersnatch and Moe’s Original BBQ. Some events in the past that they’ve performed at include Doobiepalooza and a variety of sorority and fraternity related events, including Pi Phi Palooza and Lambda Chi Alpha’s Fall Bash.
They’re most popular songs they perform consist of rock driven tracks such as “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads, “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock and “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine.
Although some of these are their most commonly performed tracks, Count Spacey aims to make each performance a little different by adding new songs into their sets, changing their arrangements, and eventually incorporating original tracks.
Drummer Zach Litchman hopes to encourage current and future students to reach out to other musicians and form bands of their own. “You can study music at virtually any school, but the best thing to do is participate and contribute to a culture of music in college. Jamming brings people together and I want to help create a music community while I’m at Denison. I urge other students to put themselves out there and help carve out their own niche.”
Where can you see and hear them next? Hopefully, they’ll have an upcoming show in the Shepardson Hall basement again sometime soon. Until then, you can check them out on SoundCloud, Facebook and Instagram.
Count Spacey goes to show that the power of music has not only brought four guys closer together, but can unite and amplify Denison’s community.