Spotlight On ... D8 Duo

Author: Lauren Smith and Jodie Zhang

The Middlebury Campus: How long have you been singing?

Jason Grout: I've been singing since I was really little - throughout childhood and high school. I took voice lessons in high school.

Joel Wolfram: I never really sang formally until senior year of high school when I joined the choir. Other than that just D8, I guess.

The Campus: Where did you get your start?

Grout: Since I was 10-years-old, I've been playing the violin and piano. My parents were music majors, so they've influenced me in that way.

Wolfram: Yeah, my dad was a music major, so music's always been really important. I started on violin, then dabbled in other instruments.

The Campus: What are your musical aspirations?

Grout: When I was younger, I wanted to be famous. But now, I don't know I'll do much music after college except for singing in the car.

Wolfram: I wanna be the "American Idol" champ. No, actually I don't really want to do anything career-wise, but obviously if the opportunity arose.

The Campus: What is in your CD player right now?

Grout: Spoon, which is a band I discovered two weeks ago. Franz Ferdinand. And, Robert Randolph is the man.

Wolfram: I've been listening to a lot of Radiohead stuff - "Kid A," "Amnesiac."

The Campus: What about musical inspirations or favorite bands?

Wolfram: Beatles - probably the best rock band of all time. The early part of my musical career I was around a lot of classical stuff, so I have a lot of respect for that. In terms of singing, I think Bono takes the cake.

Grout: I also have a lot of respect for the Beatles, and Zeppelin. Coldplay is my favorite contemporary band.

The Campus: Do you sing in the shower?

Grout: Yeah, I usually sing the last song I was listening to in my room.

Wolfram: Pretty much whatever's in my head, ranging from songs I really like to songs I really hate.

The Campus: What is your favorite aspect of being a part of something like D8?

Wolfram: Camaraderie! (both laugh)

Actually, it is. We probably get to do a lot of things other people don't get to do in college, like traveling.

Grout: Yeah, friendship, and having a social group to hang out with, and we go on at least a dozen trips a year - Cleveland for Feb break, Bermuda and lots of prep schools around New England.

The Campus: What was your audition like and what did you have to sing?

Wolfram: Pretty painless. I sang "Running to Stand Still" by U2.

Grout: I sang "Green Eyes" by Coldplay, appropriately enough.

The Campus: Do you have a nickname in D8, and if so, why?

Wolfram: (chuckles) Do we? Yeah, mine's Lasko, like the fan company.

Grout: Mine are versions of my middle and last name, like Gummer, Grouty Pants (G.P.) and Grout Attack, on a Saturday night.

The Campus: Any embarrassing moments during a D8 performance?

Wolfram: Having to sing the song "Shaboom," that's spelled S-H-A-B-O-O-M, to old ladies.

Grout: I guess I have some high falsetto parts that are kind of "crackle-ly" sometimes.

Wolfram: Yeah, I've cracked a few times on "In My Place." Gotta take it in stride.

The Campus: How did you become roommates?

Grout: We lived next to each other last year.

Wolfram: In the dungeon in Allen.

The Campus: What is something your roommate does that annoys you?

Wolfram: He plays Word Racer online non-stop.

Grout: Sometimes after he eats cereal he leaves the bowl with milk in it around for a long time.

Wolfram: (Laughs) Should I talk about all the things you leave around the room? Like heaps of clothes ...

Grout: Maybe we shouldn't talk about this for The Campus.

Wolfram: Yeah, good call.