With constant new music in genres such as rap and pop, the question arises: is rock’n’roll dead?

According to Mitchell Feiler, third year in finance, the genre is alive and well in college. Feiler said he founded the Rock Music Club last year after looking for a club that would meet his interests and help him get involved in Ohio State, but could not find one centered on one. of his main passions: rock ‘n’ roll music.

“I was looking for ways to get involved with an emphasis on music, and for some reason there was no rock music club,” Feiler said. “That’s when the idea for the club took off.

Because the club was founded during the pandemic, Feiler said Zoom was the main outlet for meetings last year. He said this year had already been more promising and engaging for the club as he moved on to face-to-face meetings.

“Last year we were on Zoom all the time. We had about 10 members, ”Feiler said. “This year, being in person, the response has been crazy and our membership has grown to around 80 members.”

Raylee Smith, a second year in Spanish and International Studies and a club member, said the move to face-to-face meetings has been extremely positive for the club.

“The whole dynamic of the club has changed,” said Smith. “Being in person adds so much energy to meetings.”

Feiler said the structure of the club varies and is open to any new ideas. He said some of their meetings are to go out and listen to music, but others incorporate activities like trivia, as well as in-depth discussions on different subgenres like women in rock, rock music. 80s and grunge.

Noah Grausz, a third year in political science and the club’s secondary leader, said other group activities, like attending concerts together, is something members of the organization have considered, but what to define the details can be tricky.

“Logistics are unclear due to fund limitations,” Grausz said. “To work around this problem, we provide our members with a list of local concerts in the area every week. It gives them a chance to go out on their own until we are able to find a way to organize something as a group.

Interest in rock’n’roll is generational for many members of the organization. Feiler said his father helped shape his musical tastes and his biggest creative influence was Van Halen.

“I started playing guitar when I was five and I never stopped from there,” Feiler said.

Grausz said his family also influenced his interest in rock ‘n’ roll, introducing him to musical instruments at a young age.

“Growing up, my parents were the kind of parents who bought a little guitar, drums, and keyboard, hoping my brother and I would buy one,” Grausz said. “Lucky for them it was, and I’ve been playing drums ever since.”

Although the club has a strong focus on classic rock, Feiler said a new emergence of rock ‘n’ roll is becoming popular. Bands such as Dirty Honey and Greta Van Fleet present a sound within the genre that differs from older rock generations, and Feiler said this gives him confidence in the future of rock and roll.

Feiler said the group’s current goal is to carry on that legacy and spread the music to their own generation, who seemingly shifted away from rock ‘n’ roll in favor of more traditional music.

“Our goal is to promote and preserve the history and culture of rock’n’roll,” said Feiler.

Rock Music Club meetings take place every other Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Lazenby Hall. Feiler said those who wish to join the club can send an email [email protected].