Editor’s note: the ASI Local Band Night event takes place on Thursday, not Friday as the flier states.
A showcase of seven local bands will be held in the freshly renovated University Union Thursday night. The Local Band Night event, hosted by Associated Students Inc., is designed to give local bands (primarily Cal Poly students) a chance to display their talents in front of their peers.
“That’s really the point,” said ASI music coordinator David Carlsen. “We want to give students a chance to perform for students.”
The event is also organized as a competition, meant to give ASI a better understanding of student’s musical preferences. After all the bands perform, the audience will vote for their favorite band. The winning band will land a spot on the fall 2010 line-up for the Concerts in the Plaza series in the UU.
“We want to find out what students want and bring it in,” Carlsen said.
The last Local Band Night, which had an audience of more than 250 people in Chumash Auditorium, concluded with Cal Poly’s own “jam-dance” band Killa Gorilla winning the popular vote and the honors of playing the first concert in the renovated UU.
The organizers said they hope the evening concert in the new UU will be even bigger and better than last year’s successful gathering. The four-hour event will not only feature a dynamic line-up of seven local bands, but will also provide free pizza and drinks to all in attendance.
The bands selected represent an extensive variety of musical genres.
Lion Eyes, a two-man “space-punk” band, is scheduled to open the event. Previously known as Cast Caste, Lion Eyes is a duo consisting of architecture student and guitarist, Charles Boyd, and graphic design student and drummer, Brice Tuttle. They loop their music back on itself and use feedback, echoes and other special effects to achieve its atmospheric “space” sound and use shredding guitar and strong drum beats for the “punk” aspect. The band’s Myspace page says its sound resembles “the scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey, when the monkeys are disturbed by the black slab.” Lion Eyes will be accompanied at the event by a guest bassist and fellow Cal Poly student.
Popular local reggae band Nada Rasta are the only performers returning for their second Local Band Night. Though the six-piece band has only officially been together since last spring, the core of the band has been playing music together for many years. Consisting primarily of Cal Poly students, Nada Rasta combines reggae with ska, rock, funk and even hip-hop to form their unique sound and exciting performance of “raw energy.”
Pacific City is another six-piece band with reggae influences and have been bringing fresh music to San Luis Obispo since 2006. All but one member are Cal Poly students. Its original combination of ska, reggae and Latin music was recently collaborated into its first independently-produced album, “Leading Line,” which is currently for sale on iTunes.
Wintersfear will be bringing its lively display of melodic death-metal to the stage. Three of the five members have attended Cal Poly.
“There’s a serious lack of diversity in the San Luis Obispo music scene,” Wintersfear drummer Robert Passagno, said. “We’re bringing a much-needed blend of Swedish and American death-metal to the scene.” Wintersfear recently finished a five-song demo EP entitled “Only for Eternity,” which is available on their Myspace page and at performances.
Hot Love For Hire will be coming straight out of the San Luis Obispo house-party scene to bring its “dance-worthy” blend of garage-rock and power-pop. This four-piece rock band sounds like “nothing you’ve ever heard, but everything you’ve ever listened to,” according to its Myspace page. Also consisting of Cal Poly students, the sound of Hot Love For Hire can be summed up in a cake: “If you baked a cake with Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine and the White Stripes inside, put punk frosting on top, then covered it in Weezer sprinkles … This is what it would taste like.”
The Skaggs are a three-piece hardcore-punk band with ska influences. The three Cal Poly students have only been a band since this fall, but they are excited to showcase their talents today. Their energetic selection of “anti-conformist” songs will be a performance to watch out for.
Vertical Twin is a four-piece rock band that have been playing together since fall of 2009. Its music carries a progressive rock sound with vintage and classic rock overtones. Three members of Vertical Twin are Cal Poly students, and the fourth is a student at Cuesta Community College. A dynamic selection of cover songs from bands like Reel Big Fish, Def Leopard and Golden Earring will be performed alongside original rock songs.
The ASI Local Band Night event will kick off in the UU at 7 p.m. on Thursday.