Meet FEEM, the Men Behind The Cage

Article By Polly Gilmore, University Union Social Media Board The Universe Liaison | Photo By Gray Warren

Syracuse music scene regulars know and love The Cage, the courtyard of an apartment complex which has become home to several parties and concerts over the last two years. The unique venue brings in droves of SU students looking to dance their cares away in the open air, contained only by the namesake chain link fence.

The Cage, though a well-known spot, maintains an aspect of mystery. The Universe sat down with FEEM, the venue’s elusive proprietors, to discuss their journey as DJs and its impending culmination as they let their beloved apartment go, graduate, and leave it all on the stage as this year’s Block Party openers.

Dominic Brancoli, Max Cohen, and Michael Lieberman did not have a lease for an apartment at the end of their sophomore year at SU. Those in the know will recognize the direness of this situation. 

“I think Dom was the first one that got a small DJ board, so he was like, ‘Oh, I'm interested in this!’ Then, eventually we all got interested in it and then we would have these eight person parties at our Watson suite and everyone on our floor kind of hated us,” Cohen said.

When they finally found their future home in The Cage, the sparsely-attended dorm parties they had thrown in their Watson Hall suite became a thing of the past, making them a staple of the house show venue ecosystem.

Unlike other venues at SU, The Cage puts an emphasis on DJs, as the three were heavily inspired by clubs in New York City. 

“​​It just kind of caught our eye — the atmosphere and the people and how much of a community it felt like, and how much people cared about each other through dance,” said Lieberman.

The group hopes to bring that feeling to Syracuse, though they know that the student body’s regular music rotation isn’t necessarily heavily saturated with dance music.

“We'd always have — when we first started throwing parties — everyone just coming up to us like ‘where are the songs with words’ and stuff like that, but those requests have slowly stopped happening, which is nice,” said Cohen. “People are starting to become a little bit more receptive to maybe listening to stuff that they haven't heard before.” 

Though a fenced-in asphalt courtyard may not seem like the most intimate of settings, Brancoli, Cohen, and Lieberman have found themselves fostering not only their own community, but a place where anyone may find a meaningful moment or person. 

“People have fallen in love from these things,” said Lieberman. “The people that we've met that have formed relationships just by meeting at The Cage or meeting from these things, we take that into serious account.”

It seems as though the group fancies themselves not just DJs, but matchmakers of sorts. At its core, their mission with The Cage was never to throw parties, but to center love and care.

“If anything, it's great if we're not the center of attention. We don't want people to look at us. We want people to look at each other,” said Cohen.

There is a mysticism to the way they speak about the space, as if it holds a sort of magic which brings people together. Anyone who has been to The Cage knows that the source of this magic is no mystery. It’s the dedication that is put into the events time and time again.

“I would say that my favorite part is putting the last cherry on top to set up when everything's done. Just like plugging in the lights and standing in the silence when there's not a single person there — just kind of looking at it,” Brancoli said.

On April 26th, the group will step off of their own turf to open for University Union’s Block Party.

“Would it have been cooler to find a middle ground in between Dome and Cage? Maybe? Yeah. Yeah. Just because, holy shit, it's the biggest!” Lieberman mused.

When asked how they got the gig, the trio admitted that they had accidentally spoken it into existence. 

“It's the biggest manifestation that weirdly came through,” said Lieberman. “It just kind of caught on. [We’ve been] talking about this as a joke since sophomore year.”

Though it may have begun as a joke, their performance at Block Party holds major significance for the three of them, as not only a bookend but a beginning to their next chapter. While they look forward to graduation, each member of the group is reflecting on how their time together and at The Cage has helped them grow. 

“My mom came for parents' weekend last year and saw that we threw this huge party, and I think she said to one of you guys, ‘This is the least Max thing I've ever seen,’ ” Cohen said. “I have realized I never would have done this 3 years ago — performing in front of all these people — and now I'm doing it and I'm just excited.” 

FEEM feel like they’ve just started,

and maybe they have. When the three move to New York City post-graduation, they plan to keep their experiences with The Cage and DJing close to them.

“We'd love to open a club of our own. We'd love to keep this feeling going elsewhere. We'd love to explore what that means because it's still very new, but we love it,” said Lieberman.

But first, they’re going to make the most of their last month in their now iconic apartment.

“The final one… we're actually planning to destroy the world,” said Lieberman. 

“Yeah, we might burn this place down,” Cohen concurred.

Whether it’s their last hurrah at The Cage or their set at the Dome, Feem’s goodbye to Syracuse is not to be missed. 

Maybe the farewell isn’t so sad, as Cohen said, his favorite part of any party they’ve thrown is the end. 

“If everything goes well, and you're cleaning up, and you're playing softer music, and you're just dancing with like five other people, maybe three others that are still there [...] you're just like, ‘Oh my God! The night was incredible.’ ”

Block Party will take place on April 26th at the Dome. Students can purchase tickets for $15 with a valid Student ID.