Laufey
More than 20 years since it became required listening for any mid-aughts music fan, the artists featured on the soundtrack to acclaimed indie film Garden State have come together in Los Angeles for a one-night only affair.
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Initially released in July 2004, Garden State served as the directorial debut for Scrubs star Zach Braff, and earned itself a nomination for the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Though it avoided much of the Hollywood glitz and glamor, the film developed a cult following, thanks in part to its eclectic soundtrack.
Equally influential and acclaimed, the soundtrack collected names such as The Shins, Coldplay, and Iron & Wine as something of a snapshot of the era’s indie landscape. Ultimately, the soundtrack peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and won the 2005 Grammy for best compilation soundtrack for visual media.
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In October 2024, it was announced a special concert celebration would take place at Los Angeles’ Greek Theater on March 29, with proceeds from the affair going to benefit The Midnight Mission, a homeless shelter and services provider founded in L.A. in 1914.
Promotion for the event promised appearances from (almost) every artist featured on the soundtrack, along with “very special guests” by way of cast member appearances, and on Saturday (March 29), the full anniversary concert came to fruition.
Artists such as The Shins were on hand to perform the likes of “Caring is Creepy” and “New Slang” (which attained widespread fame thanks to Natalie Portman’s character insisting the song will “change your life; I swear”), while Cary Brothers, Bonnie Somerville, Colin Hay, Thievery Corporation, Cary Brothers, and Sophie Barker of Zero 7 also appeared to perform their respective cuts.
A handful of notable absences did alter the dream lineup, however. While pop heavyweights Coldplay weren’t on hand to perform “Don’t Panic,” neither were Simon & Garfunkel available to run through “The Only Living Boy in New York.” In their absence, Laufey and The Milk Carton Kids got up onstage to cover their songs, respectively. Likewise, Iron & Wine paid tribute to the late Nick Drake by adding a rendition of “One of These Things First” to his scheduled performance.
The event also resulted in a couple of rare performances from the likes of Frou Frou and Remy Zero. While Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth of Frou Frou have been active again since 2017, the pair had not performed live since 2019, with the Garden State concert seeing them appear onstage once again.
Remy Zero, meanwhile, broke up in 2010 and reformed exclusively for the Saturday concert. The band largely reunited to play their 1998 track “Fair,” though they also used the opportunity to provide fans with a chance to hear the track “Save Me,” which found fame as the theme to Smallville from 2001 to 2011.
On the non-musical front, the event also featured appearances from both Braff and Portman, while Danny DeVito (an executive producer on the original film), and Braff’s former Scrubs co-stars Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke took to the stage to partake in the festivities and the fundraising efforts.
For those that missed out on the event, the concert will be available to purchase for streaming from April 6. Proceeds from the stream will also be donated to The Midnight Mission.
On Tuesday (Sept. 24), singer-songwriter Laufey performed at the launch event for Syracuse University’s new Bandier music business master’s program. Held at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles, the Icelandic/Chinese singer also revealed her new scholarship fund for international students and those with financial need at the event.
The Laufey Scholarship for Graduate Students will provide $100,000 over the next ten years to the Bandier program. In her remarks, Laufey noted that she was inspired to start the fund by her parents, who are music educators, and by her team, many of which attended Bandier for undergrad.
This includes her manager Max Gredinger (2013 alumni), attorney Harry Roberts (2012), publisher Gabz Landman (2012), digital marketing manager Izzy Newirth (2023) and management coordinator Kaylee Barrett (2024).
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“I’m incredibly proud to support this scholarship and be part of such an important moment for the Bandier program. The talent, knowledge and passion that my team brings to our work every day are a direct result of the incredible education they received at Syracuse University,” Laufey said of the scholarship in a release. “I hope this scholarship will help future students find the same success and fulfillment in the music industry.”
Syracuse’s Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries was established in 2006. Named for alumnus and storied music executive Martin Bandier, the school is a regular on Billboard’s top music business schools list.
The expansion into a master’s program has been in the works by the team at Bandier for the last year-and-a-half, and it is said to offer students many of the same features from the undergraduate program, including hands-on learning experiences and job training to help develop the music industry’s next generation of executives. It is set to begin classes in summer 2025.
The curriculum will introduce students to areas like music law, copyright, social media and the latest data tools used by industry professionals. It will also feature a semester based in Los Angeles where students will be able to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to the real-world music business.
The Bandier undergraduate and graduate programs are both helmed by former Billboard editorial director Bill Werde.
“An overwhelming percentage of our undergrads are leveraging the skills, network and experiences built in the Bandier program into jobs upon graduation,” Werde said. “We look forward to welcoming these new graduate students into our community and working with them to develop the core that they need to succeed.”
Mark J. Lodato, dean of the Newhouse School of Communications, which is home to the Bandier program, said in a release, “Through the Bandier master’s program, students aspiring to work in the music industry will have exciting opportunities to hone the skills they learn in the classroom in real-world settings. We are so grateful to the Bandier alumni, who play pivotal roles working with such a gifted artist like Laufey, for setting examples for career success.”
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