Posted by Samantha Skurdahl
The on campus hot spot Falstaff's has seen its fair share of DJs and dance bands over the years. More recently, however, Skidmore students are packing the place not only to dance to the newest hits, but also for the acoustic stylings of student band Bailiwick.
Sophomores Jane Esterquest, Brett Hartman, Colin Manjoney and Ned Porter formed the band last academic year. Since then, Bailiwick has made a name for itself both on campus and throughout Saratoga. The bands past performance spots include Virgil's Cafe and the legendary Caffe Lena.
While Bailiwick chooses not to lump itself into one specific genre, the group's mix of instruments, which include the guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and banjo, create a sound which violinist Esterquest terms, "crunk folk."
Bailiwick has found a large fan base in Skidmore music lovers of all types. "Obviously our friends are our biggest, most obsessive fans, but I think people's enjoyment of our music has spread pretty far across the student body," Brett Hartman '13 said.
The band cites its song "That Boy" as eliciting the most enthusiastic response, with fans clapping and singing along. "A memorable moment was when we played Virgil's Coffee House last year and people knew the words to our songs. Two kids gave each other high fives when we played ‘That Boy.' That pretty much blew my mind," Jane Esterquest '13 said.
Bailiwick hopes to have a full album recorded and for sale this year. The members also plan to continue performing and hope to widen their venues beyond Saratoga.
Bailiwick has Facebook page, facebook.com/pages/Bailiwick, and a website, Bailiwick.bandcamp.com, where its songs are available to download.