The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

STJ Student Finds His Passion in Music

Whether it be sports, academics, culture or just about anything else in between, there seems to be a club or organization on St. John’s campus to meet fellow students who share similar interests.

Yet, freshman Tony Resch feels as if those who are interested and/or play music lack an overarching community on campus, in which they can come together and not only perfect their own craft, but to promote each other and music in general.

“You have a lot of people trying to push themselves,” he said. “But there’s no place where people can sit down and work on music together or work to promote other people’s music.”

Resch, an English major, also credits this lack of a community to there being no music program at St. John’s to teach musicians important skills such as music theory and production.

“Even though I’m not big into theory,” he said, “It’s still important to understand. And I think St. John’s not having a music program is one of the reasons why
there’s no collective community.”

Resch, from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, has spent his entire life around music. His father spent several years performing in reggae bands, which would later influence his own music style.

Resch traces back his love of music back to one singular album, A Century Ends by British singer-songwriter David Gray.

“I was in the car with my dad and I had this “Spiderman 2” CD with the soundtrack and my dad says ‘enough of this’ and puts in David Gray and I was like ‘Oh my God.’”

Shortly after listening to this album, Resch first picked up a guitar, something he had very little difficulty with.

“It was just natural,” he said. “It was like I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life but playing guitar.”

Resch, almost immediately, began to write lyrics to accompany his music. The lyrics, he says, stem from his own personal experiences. At the same time, he tries to make the story behind the words something everyone can be able to relate to.

“Even though these lyrics come from my life and my personal stories,” he said, “I want it to be so that everyone can enjoy them.”

His style, he explained, is influenced by a combination of the reggae roots he grew up around and alternative rock bands such as Arcade Fire and Bon Iver.

At this point in his career, Resch says he’s just coming to terms with his identity as a musician and is ready to take the next step.

“I understand how I write music and why I write music,” he said. “I’m ready to punch through to the next phase.”

The young singer-song writer said it’s difficult for him to put out any new music while in Queens. During visits back home he’ll take the time to record new songs and music videos, which he puts on his Facebook and Youtube page.

The musician can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/tonyreschmusic.

 

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About the Contributor
Anthony O'Reilly, News Editor
Anthony has been one of the most, if not the most, loyal person at this paper. His passion and his dedication to reporting and production is unparalleled. In the last few weeks, he has demonstrated the qualities of a leader and a coach that are required for this position. I have nothing but confidence that Anthony will do a great job. He will serve you, the reader, by providing the most honest, objective news possible. —Terence Cullen News Editor, Emeritus

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