Alyssa VanPelt-Cathcart, Staff Writer
Music may be the most engaging form of art. Unlike poetry readings and art receptions, concerts bring people together through more than just listening or viewing. The interactions between the musicians and audience are what create micro-communities within each performance. No two concerts are exactly the same as they are being organically created each time by the energy of those present.
The Music Industry Club, or MIC, held a concert Thursday, November 14th, 2024, in Lee Hall at SUNY Oneonta. The e-board of MIC includes Grace Miller, Caroline Shaver, Conrad Freed, Sam Starr, Brendan Weatherup, James Dangler, Amanda Metakis, and Nadya Jainarine.
The first band to perform was Orange Grove, a local band formed by SUNY Oneonta students. Members of Orange Grove include Jasmine Famulari (Psychology, Sophomore) as their lead singer, Aidan Gomes (Computer Science, Sophomore) as bass and singer, Sean Reynolds (Music Industry, Sophomore) as guitarist and singer, Jake Weissman (Music Industry, Sophomore) as drummer, and Holden Altman (Media Studies, Sophomore) as another guitarist and singer. They all originally met at freshman orientation a year ago where they all became friends. According to them, it was merely fate that they all coincidentally played an instrument, so they formed a band.
For their performance, they played a variety of covers: Feeling Sorry by Paramore, Sunday Morning by No Doubt, Wrong Way by Sublime, This Love by Maroon 5, My Own Worst Enemy by LIT, and Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. Despite them only performing covers, their own style and personality could be heard through their interpretation of the music. Famulari has such a beautiful voice that shifted the songs to be her own. Additionally, the added stylization of the other singers provided more uniqueness to the original songs. Excitingly, they are currently in the process of developing their own original music. Altman, jokingly, titled their project, “Project X.” “Project X” will most likely fall between pop, rock, and alternative music. For future updates on “Project X” and performances, it is recommended readers follow them on Instagram, @orangegroveband.
The next two bands to perform were Minted, formally known as Almost Sex, from New York City. The lead vocalist from Minted recommends that people search them by their former name on Spotify in order to find their music. They performed original pieces in the style of rock. During their performance, they would do live transitions into their next song in order to keep the energy going. It was fascinating to listen to. The third band was Telescreens, who are also from New York City. Their lead guitarist and vocalist had a lot of energy during the performance. He was very engaging with the audience, doing call-backs and encouraging them to get loose. He shared, “think of this as group therapy” because that is why Telescreens is there and that is why the audience is there. To relax and get out of what they are holding onto internally. Towards the end of their performance, he stated, “you’ve got to enjoy life aggressively because you’re here now.” Telescreens live by that philosophy and want their audience to as well.
Through the bands that performed, it is evident that community is so important to them. Music is such a freeing and engaging art form that people love to share because it connects them.
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