The Revival of The Blue Room

Anya Tucker ‘24 and Esmé Lazar ‘26

Sunday, Feb 18 brought the long-awaited revival of the Blue Room. The once-beloved music space in Bates’ basement was full of anticipation as students crowded in and stage crew members fine-tuned the set up. Sarah Lawrence Music Festival hosted four student bands: Venus Envy, Bone Museum, Miller Lite and NEJ.

“Getting the Blue Room back was a huge deal for SLMF and the whole music community on campus,” said SLMF co-chair Edan Raen ‘26. She credited SLMF’s large team of organizers, stage managers and directors. The revival of the Blue Room and other SLMF events are only made possible by the participation of a vibrant community of team members and audience support. Raen said, “Now that we have [the Blue Room] back, it just feels really exciting to be a part of the culture that it's going to facilitate again.”

Venus Envy opened the revival show with an energetic set. “I think we were all feeling a little nervous about the fact that we were the ones christening the Blue Room,” said Venus Envy bassist, Mirabel Gallegos ‘26.

But Venus Envy had nothing to worry about in the end. Their cover of “The One I Love” by the Mamas & The Papas had the audience dancing and singing along. It is hard to imagine that it was the band’s very first performance.

Between sets, the room buzzed with conversation, students offering congratulations to the performers coming off stage.

“Performing in general is a scary thing for me personally, but I think the people here are accepting of people at any level…and so I felt a little more at ease.” said Venus Envy singer, Vera Meszeros ‘26. There was an overwhelming atmosphere of support and encouragement.

Among the Sarah Lawrence student body, there are some extremely talented songwriters. Bone Museum gave a performance that included both covers and original songs. The band’s stage presence was cohesive and intimate. They could often be seen interacting with each other on stage while delivering impressive solos. Their cover of Clairo’s “Bags” was the highlight of the set. The crowd happily sang along to the familiar tune.

Miller Lite, an ensemble made up of students all bearing the last name “Miller”, charmed the audience with a medley of crowd pleasers. “I was really impressed with Clay [Miller’s] blues ensemble band because they played eight songs, and that was the first time they had played some of those songs,” said Gallegos. If Miller Lite was under-rehearsed, it certainly did not show; they held the stage and the crowd’s attention. The band was playful and interactive, embodying the spirit of the Blue Room as a space to come together, have fun and enjoy music.

NEJ, the three piece band comprised of Elijah Melvin ‘25, Julian Cotom ‘25 and Noah Rozenblatt ‘25, was the final group to take to the stage. The crowd seemed familiar with the musicians and the band walked on to excited cheers. Anticipation built in the room as they started their set of primarily original pieces. NEJ can be characterized by its improvisational, neo-jazz inspired sound with rock and funk influences.

Cotom is a dynamic musician on bass and his energy translates to the audience, creating an infectious need to move with the music. The band transitioned effortlessly between slower sections to fast paced moments throughout their set. The connection between each member was clear. For their encore, the trio played an improvised piece, working off each other.

Bailey Blake ‘24 described watching NEJ: “I feel like being in the audience we were all in a trance, like jaws dropping. It was almost like watching people fall in love at first sight, and nobody wanted it to end.”

NEJ drummer Rozenblatt played with a sense of ease, revealing a mastery of his instrument and a deep understanding of music. Similarly, Melvin, an impressive keyboardist, was a joy to watch. He maintained a spirit of improvisation, even in cover songs, allowing the band to make each one their own.

“I’m glad we could play in that space and have a fun time. It was great that everyone could be on that stage” said Cotom. NEJ, along with the other performers, demonstrated a love for performance which left the audience buzzing with excitement even as they exited the venue.

The unassuming classroom was entirely transformed into a lively performance space where students connected over music, dance and a respite from cold weather and day-to-day responsibilities. There is much more to come from these student bands and other Sarah Lawrence Music Festival events to be hosted in the Blue Room throughout the semester. The Blue Room is back.

All photographs courtesy of Anya Tucker