Bands bring bangin’ beats

By Amanda Seef
NEWS EDITOR

Photo by Amanda Seef, NEWS EDITOR Dan Layus, lead singer of Augustana, performs during the first annual Brock-Tober Fest Sunday, Oct. 7.

Brock-tober Fest kicked off smoothly, with relatively few bumps along the way.  Alumni Walk transformed into a concert venue and the weather, albeit slightly chilly, held up for the event.  Major touring artists, as well as a bit of local flair topped off the event.

The line wrapped nearly into Cooper,  students patiently awaiting the doors opening at 4 p.m.  The gates were opened an hour late at the bands’ requests to provide time for sound checks.

“The bands requested the doors open late to sound check,” Programming Director Ryan Troup said.

As eager students walked into the gate, Brockport Idol winner Amber Rose crooned to the crowd. 

In between acts, students were sure to check out the vendors that had set up along the inside of the fenced-off area.    Brockport Auxiliary Service Corporation manned the concession stand, selling candy, cookies, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and cold beverages.  Go Ask Alice set up with a plethora of jewlery and stickers, and also offered on-the-spot tattooing. 

Jimmy Z himself assisted with the vending, giving away free food, including his new dish “Jimbalaya.”  Jimmy Z also helped Brockport Student Government shoot out free t-shirts into the crowd between acts.

“Between you and alcohol, that’s what keeps me in business!” Jimmy Z said to the crowd.

 Merchant St. Smokehouse offered discount dinner prices.  Blue Apple productions were also set up to capture the day’s memories in keychain form. 

Black Violin took the stage with their classical instruments, performing common rap, R&B and hip-hop covers, as well as original pieces.  The band got the sitting crowd on their feet, dancing to the music, by covering such songs as “Crazy,” by Gnarls Barkley, and “Promiscuous Girl,” by Nelly Furtado.

“I am enjoying it immensely,” senior Heather Brand said. “I would like to see more people here, but that is OK. I am here for Augustana but the other bands are good too.”

Local-band-turned-large-success, The Hoodies, played songs from their upcoming album (now available on iTunes), as well as older originals, for the crowd.  The band stood apart from the other performers, as their energy leaped off the stage and into the audience. 

The band has recently jumped off their own tour throughout the East Coast and Midwest and is now promoting their album that will release in Japan, Oct. 17.

Tyler Burkum, Mat Kearney’s guitarist, began the set with songs from his solo album.  Burkum is a two-time Grammy award winner for his previous work with the band Audio Adrenaline.  The acoustics sounded great and the lyrics were catchy but did not spark a response from the crowd, most likely due to their unfamiliarity with the artist.

Kearney entered the stage, opening with “Crashing Down.”  The setting was romantic, with the sky hitting dusk, and couples holding each other and listeners swaying. 

“Breathe in, breathe out,” a new song used in ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” was a crowd favorite and very easy to get lost in. 

Although signs were posted requesting no flash photography (except for press), the rule was obviously not adhered to as the later acts hit the stage.

The main act, Augustana, hit the stage with force, playing their hits from their latest album Stars and Boulevards.

Augustana lead singer, Dan Layus, conversed with a crowd member after the person requested to bear Layus’ children.

“Can you give birth?” Layus said.  “If you can, let’s give it a shot, man!”

The crowd sang the loudest for the band’s most popular single “Boston.”  The single hit the Billboard charts, topping off at No. 34 on the Top 100.  The band has also released  “Stars and Boulevards,” the single that titled their album. 

Augustana finished their latest album three days prior to coming to Brockport, and are looking for a January or February release date.

Brock-tober Fest was a success, even though the crowd was more sparse than originally hoped.  BSG’s administration hopes to see Brock-tober Fest continued in future years, creating the 2007 festival the first annual.
-Additional reporting by Chelsea Craddock