When they moved into the Pentagon residence halls this fall, the members of casual music group C4 didn’t know they would wind up jamming in the middle of the courtyard for other residents to enjoy.
C4, named after the stack in Beauregard Hall where the first three members met at the beginning of the semester, perform live music in the Pentagon courtyard.
Austin Williams, mechanical engineering freshman and drummer, Dominick Dujuilio, civil engineering freshman and keyboardist, and Andrew Borniak, music freshman and bassist, met shortly after moving in and started playing music in the dorm rooms,  Williams said.
“[Dujuilio and Borniak] were just jamming one day, and I grabbed my drumsticks and started playing on stuff in their room,” Williams said. “We did that for a couple of nights until we decided to try going outside.”
Dragging out chairs and blankets from their rooms, a small audience gathered to listen to the band play.
After playing twice in the courtyard, the group added two more members — Bob Price, music freshman and saxophonist, and John Trufant, music freshman and guitarist.
Williams said C4 played by improvisation only in the first few sessions without any practice beforehand.
“I would start a beat, and the rest of the guys would start playing, and everyone had a small solo,” he said. “But as we got more people and more instruments, they’ve been wanting to play actual songs like jazz or pretty much anything.”
The band has received positive feedback for its music from both residents and the Department of Residential Life. It was asked to play for a ResLife event held in the Pentagon courtyard and often receives words of encouragement from fellow residents, Williams said.
Jay High, ResLife communications manager, said having live music around residence halls is a step toward the environment they’re looking for.
“We went to great lengths to establish a nice community for the Pentagon,” High said. “It’s a place where students feel like it’s their own area to hang out, bring instruments and jam together.”
Live music is a positive reflection on the residential colleges, and the only concern with musicians is finishing before the established quiet hours, High said.
Williams said the band is courteous to residents who need to sleep or study.
“Most people seem to like it when we play because it’s not obnoxiously loud and we’re always done by 10 [p.m.] when quiet hours start,” he said.
Emily Guidry, art history freshman, said she enjoys the music most of the time.
“Sometimes the music would bother me when I’m studying, but they usually don’t play very late. Overall, I appreciate what the band adds to the Pentagon community,” Guidry said.
Williams said the Pentagon community has had a big influence on the band’s formation.
“It is a community. If it weren’t for the Pentagon, this wouldn’t have happened. We don’t have a lounge here, but I’d take a courtyard over a lounge any day,” Williams said.
With the fall semester in full swing, C4 has had difficulty organizing time to play, but the members are talking about playing in the Greek Amphitheater one day after a few more jams in the courtyard, Williams said.
“I’ll be walking around in The 5, and people will ask me, ‘When are you playing again?’ We love the support we get from the Pentagon community,” he said.
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Contact Morgan Searles at [email protected]