Room 207 rocks with student athlete members

Before the football game against Utah, there was a tent set up for students on the south side of Memorial Stadium near 17th Street. Inside, the tent featured free pizza; outside, a band. The band -- Room 207 -- got the gig through the University and features two members of the men's cross country team. \nJunior Chris Powers, the drummer, and sophomore Jeff Zeha, the bass player, both find time in their busy schedules to play while running for the 16th-ranked cross country team and attending classes. \nPowers began playing the trombone when he was eight years old and the drums when he was 12. Zeha started playing the double bass in the orchestra in sixth grade and later picked up the electric bass. \n"Of course, running comes first and the band second," Powers said. \nZeha agreed. \n"Running is my main thing this is just a way to get out and have a good time," Zeha said.\nWith cross country practices and class taking up so much of their time, Room 207 is only able to get together a few times a week. \n"When the band gets together for one or two hours we are able to play a few songs," Zeha said. \nThe band started during the teammates' freshman year. When Powers found out at practice that Zeha played bass and friend Jeff Glant played guitar, they decided that it would be "cool" to start a band, because they all were distance runners as well. \nThe name "Room 207" was named after the room in which they played together for the first time. It was in the Teter dorm during the Freshman Intensive Seminar. That was Powers' second room of the seminar, because the first had bed bugs. When Powers asked for another room, he was given the keys to 207, and the story goes from there. \nThe band played together for the next few years and this year were offered a gig to play before all the home football games. \n"The game day band added some flavor to the pre-game festivities. Room 207 showed IU's diversity with songs from Paul Simon to Afroman, and the cover of Hash Pipe rocked," sophomore Rob Ingram said about the band's Saturday performance.\n"Ryan (Geldmyer, the guitarist) knew the guy who wanted to set this up," Powers said. "They came and listened to us a few times and we signed a deal to play all the games," Powers said. \nOn some weekends, the team also has cross country meets. On these weekends, the band will not perform. But when they get the chance, Room 207 plays mostly covers. \n"We are working on some of our own stuff. It is not really ready yet, and at parties people want to hear covers," Powers said. \nThe band plays mostly Top 40 and then anything they feel like after that, Zeha said. Room 207 plays whatever gigs come their way and nothing is set in stone, they said.\n"This is definitely for fun. Instead of going home and watching TV for two hours we play," Powers said.