“Can we get Ryan on the drums please? Ryan with the sunglasses? Where’s our drummer?”
Barnyard BBQ might not be where you’d expect to find a live concert on a Friday night. Luckily, the newly formed band, Code of Conduct, is gaining momentum in the entertainment scene -and since their journey started right here at Fordham University, you’ll be seeing a lot more of them at your favorite campus spots.
If you’ve ever been to Rodrigue’s Coffee House’s (Rod’s) battle of the bands, you know that Fordham is no stranger to musically passionate students with a knack for performance. But few bands, even outside of the college community, have six members each specializing in a different instrument and able to play by ear on the spot. In a pre-concert interview with the band, Bryce Vitale, FCRH ’25, said, “On our Instagram, one of our bio captions is ‘just a bunch of dudes are playing some music,’ and it’s just who we are. We like to play the role of the entertainer. We’re there to entertain the crowd, but we’re also there to entertain ourselves.”
“We were looking for a certain sound, and we wanted to be different,” said Vitale. “We have a saxophone player. What band has a saxophone player that’s our age?;’ I don’t really know a lot of them.”
Saxophone player Sam Hoch, FCRH ’25, or Saxxy Sam, as the band refers to him, is studying abroad this semester and was only able to make their first performance. Sam Scriven, FCRH ’25, Code of Conduct’s keyboardist, has been filling in the saxophone notes in his absence. “I definitely didn’t expect us to start gigging as soon as we did,” said Scriven. The band began practicing together in September, but Vitale booked their first gig at Mugz’s bar less than two months after their first rehearsal. “‘How?’ is the question,” added Scriven. “We just kind of cramped together and got pushed around by the people in the crowd. But the vibes made it worth it.”
“It was awesome though, to be able to actually play for that many people,” said drummer Ryan Davis, GSB ’26. Their first performance, cramped as it was in Mugz’s one-room bar, made such a good impression on the large turnout that it brought the newest band member into the group.
“I actually turned out first,” said Jojo Onorato, FCRH ’26, bassist of Code of Conduct. “When I wasn’t in the band, I actually went to the first show, and I was kind of impressed. I was not expecting how good these guys sounded, especially Saxxy Sam.” Onorato, like his bandmates, has a background in music, but almost no experience playing bass prior to his time in the group. Onorato’s excitement to join the group is evident on stage a semester later, as he smiled and nodded to the beat during every song at the band’s Barnyard performance.
When the band isn’t entertaining publicly, they’re writing pieces in their dorms, looking for gigs or rehearsing in music program band rooms. Once Vitale started taking up the role of band manager and the gigs started rolling in, the band started practicing four to five times a week. Guitarist Anthony Satrohan, GSB ’25, says the band has been compatible and reliable since their very first practice session. “The chemistry was right off the bat, it was pretty immediate,” he says. Satrohan, who had never played an electric guitar before the band practices, now brings both an acoustic and electric guitar to every performance, switching up the tunes for the crowd’s mood and allowing himself a full range of song material.
Their go-to sets are sing-alongs, relatable tunes, on-site requests and any song that gets you up dancing. But don’t be surprised if they throw in a few originals! Vitale is currently sitting on six unreleased originals to add to “Baby Blues,” the only original song the band has co-written and sung publicly. Yet, what seems like an exclusive session of musical talent is actually closer to a Fordham community club.
Scriven said, “It’s not just one person doing it. Everyone is pitching into it. A lot of teamwork.” Friends and volunteers make up the majority of the band’s team, all of whom helped book their first two concerts at Mugz’s, manage the band’s social media and set up their equipment for every performance. “We would not be here without the moving group, that’s for sure,” said Onorato. According to Scriven, the audience is more than just a participant in the concerts. “They feel like an extension of the band, too,” he said. “We can count on a lot of people to back us up and hype us up.”
The band isn’t just adding an activity to your weekend calendar; they’re also bringing a new type of culture to Fordham’s nightlife. Friday’s concert was a pivotal move for the band and the bars, according to Onorato. “I know a lot of friends that miss going to Barnyard,” he said.
With all the instrument changes, practices on top of school commitments and gig-booking, one thing that has been important for every band member is following the music. Vitale says they’re troubleshooting as they go, trying to plan ahead of time who’s graduating when, who’s staying in New York, and who’s going abroad. “Regardless, I don’t really see a definite end to the band and I don’t see that it’ll fall apart,” he said. “We’re all never going to stop doing music. That’s something that we can’t really get off of our backs there. It’s kind of ingrained in us.” Their short-term goals are to perform at Rod’s Battle of the Bands, and potentially even Spring Weekend. Next year, keep an eye out for Code of Conduct in the city, as Vitale says they’d love to line up city gigs in the near future.
