They say the happiest musicians have day jobs.
Fifteen GW Law School students will show off their musical chops Thursday at The Rock N Roll Hotel to raise funds for the annual GW Law Revue show in February, featuring performances that satirize the rigorous workloads and demanding schedules of the typical law student.
Students from the bands Motion to Quash and Attractive Nuisance will take to the popular venue for the third semester. Corey Ershow, director of the production, called the Law Revue, a 30-year-old tradition, a definitive experience.
“As early as orientation, [students] know what the Law Revue is, they hear that it’s great and we don’t exactly have to pull teeth to get people to participate,” Ershow said.
The show’s scale has increased in the last four years – and it’s gained internet fame. It features a range of acts, including musical performances, videos and comedy sketches. A video sketch from the 2011 show parodying Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” went viral and now boasts over 540,000 views on YouTube.
Many students regard the show as one of the most fun experiences of law school, Ershow said. Within a year, he said, the cast more than doubled from 40 to 84 participants.
Recruiting members for the bands at first proved challenging for Tsega Bekele, saxophonist and band liaison for Motion to Quash, who had to convince students with tight academic and work schedules to add band rehearsal to their list of responsibilities.
“People would say, ‘I’m in law school, I don’t have time for that,’ ” Bekele said. “But we held an open jam session to show people how laid back it is. [Performing] counterbalances people freaking out about studies.”
The bands have been practicing for three weeks in the basement of Ivory Tower, wedging out time in the evening to devise set lists and rehearse.
Playing music is a cathartic outlet for these musicians-turned-law students, some of whom, like Motion to Quash keyboardist Jerry Stenquist, have previously studied music and recorded albums.
“Life isn’t going to get any less busy,” Stenquist said. “You might as well enjoy it while you can.”
Members of Motion to Quash and Attractive Nuisance will lend their musical expertise, directorial skills and even their acting skills to the February show, crafting original satirical songs and skits.
Both bands incorporate an eclectic range of genres in their set lists, from funk and reggae-inspired classics to radio-friendly hits by Coldplay and David Guetta.
“Ultimately, our audience is people who want to drink and sing along. We mix being musical while being accommodating to Top 40,” Bekele noted.
