“Razing the Bar,” Case Western Reserve University School of Law’s faculty/student/alumni rock band, will kick off the 2021 Jam for Justice as the lead band Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 5 p.m. in the front yard of the Great Lakes Science Center.
The in-person event features seven local lawyer rock bands, a drink and a light dinner. Tickets to attend are $50 with proceeds going to the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.
The band, whose name was chosen through a law school naming contest, was formed a decade ago. It has played at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, House of Blues, Music Box Supper Club, Happy Dog tavern, and performs regularly at Cosmic Dave’s Cosmic Rock Club across the street from the law school.
While faculty members, including Co-Dean Michael Scharf (vocals, guitar), Law Library Director Joe Custer (bass guitar), Professor Charlie Korsmo (keyboard, vocals), Professor Kathryn Mercer (vocals) and Professor Andrew Pollis (vocals) form the core of the band, Razing the Bar’s identity is redefined each year as student members graduate and new musicians join the law school. This year, the band features five new student band members selected via video audition tapes over the summer:
- Shay Adler, a 1L guitar player originally from Israel who just graduated with his MBA from St. Louis University;
- Michaella Guyot-Polverini, a 1L who plays keyboards and sings from a small town in the north of France;
- Owen Migdal, a 2L guitar and keyboard player from Maryland who is pursuing a dual JD and MD;
- Kelsey Moore, a 1L who plays keyboards and sings, who studied musical theater at the University of Michigan; and
- Kelsy Tshanen, a 1L vocalist who was a church choir section leader in Columbus for the past five years.
In addition, two students, 3L Ryan Daltan, who is lead guitarist of the professional band Erie Point, and drummer 3L Andy Rumshlag, who is editor-in-chief of the school’s Law Review, return. The band also features three alums, Carly Koza (LAW ‘21) (lead vocals), Liz Safier (LAW ‘21) (electric violin), and University Trustee Chuck Hallberg (LAW ‘77)(guitar).
The band’s “Jam for Justice” set will feature 30 minutes of classic rock songs from the 1960s through today, with each song showcasing the talents of different members of the band. The performance will begin with “Shut up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, then “Cups,” from the movie Pitch Perfect, followed by Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” Bob Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel,” The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and the classic Stevie Nicks’ ballad, “Landslide.” The band will close the set with a frolicking rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”