i walked into the multipurpose room at the rutgers student center and was instantly greeted by a donation table, band merch, and gerlanda’s pizza. i practically swooned. after handing over a fiver to the ‘all proceeds to sandy relief’ table i was handed a ticket for a raffle of my choosing. i was torn between the numerous options including broadway tickets, a slew of hair products, and a goodie bag containing a rutgers sweatshirt. i met with Kelsey Flanigan, the senior that planned the successful event. Flanigan admitted that her family was not affected by Sandy but it was something that she needed to do. i was thoroughly impressed with the event and was even surprised to find out that it was the first event she has organized. Flanigan hopes to pursue the role of producer for more shows at the Court Tavern.
*for any bands that are interested in being involved with future events
please contact Kelsey Flanigan @ flanigankelsey@gmail.com
the show kicked off with two young comedians, each having their own style. embarrassing dating stories were told, lol texting dad jokes, and pooping at SEARs highlighted the comedy kickoff. the short segments were mostly improv and involved heckling the audience. it reminds us that a first date should never be at a comedy club. you should bring someone you can fart in front of. part of the fun is being embarrassed and if you are not into that then a comedy show is not for you.
then the music started…
THE LORDS OF LIECHTENSTEIN: featuring two adorable brothers, Dan and Noah Rauchwerk, clothed in argyle sweatervests, the lords of leichtenstein took the stage first. their folky vocals and George Michael inspired appearance won over the hearts of many. wielding a ukelele, banjo, acoustic guitar, and their young-spirited vocals they easily were understood to be quite charming, especially when the mic on stage kept falling and Noah just laughed and crouched down uncomfortably. similar to a mixture of the terrordactyls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-qb4rdAiAo) and low-key hellogoodbye (minus the techno-garbage), the duo played “SIBERIA” off their newest CD as well as a song titled “GIRLZ” about how all women are mean. they covered Bowling for Soup’s “1985” and finished off with a reggae song, “KING SELASSIE COME LET ME DOWN” about the African dictator, Haile Selassie. the lords of liechtenstein were truly unique and are worth a listen.
MERCHANT COPY: two fake mustached boys and a true mustached drummer took the stage. the indie/folk band played pretty hard, halfway through their mustaches fell off. their song “AVENUE OF OWLS”, their first single, invokes a lighter strokes feel. i was won over by their cover of “HOLD ON” by the alabama shakes. it’s true, you can judge a band by what they cover.
MERCHANT COPY – AVENUE OF OWLS
LOVELECTRIC: this band is for the ones that grew up surviving the heat of warped tour, those who get pumped when “DAMMIT” by blink 182 comes on the radio, or anyone who ever lost their voice screaming “BEST OF ME” by the starting line. clapping happened and the energy was immeasurable. the best part of their performance was their remix of madonna’s “EXPRESS YOURSELF” and lady gaga’s “BORN THIS WAY”. these guys knew what they were doing; their last minute individual solo/introductions of each band member made the show feel like some type of reckless abandon, in a very very good way.
BANDCAMP:
http://lovelectric.bandcamp.com
STILL VANDALS: the three gents landed on stage wearing matching purple and black thick striped long sleeve shirts. wooden guitar in hand, the punk trio was not afraid to be weird. their first song featured a dual vocal clash similar to “MURDER MYSTERY” by the velvet underground. their last song incorporated random battle cries with extreme energy paired with some repeating ‘na na na’ audience chanting. snag “DORIAN GRAY” by the still vandals on their bandcamp listed below.
BANDCAMP // FREE SONG
http://stillvandals.bandcamp.com
THE COMMON ROOM: imagine dave matthews band minus the depression, violin, drums, the stoner groupies, and the excruciatingly long jam sessions. the common room does it right. they consist of two guys, Julian (saxophone player from Brooklyn) and Kyle (acoustic guitar player from Jersey). these two have an amazing chemistry. Julian’s solos and Kyle’s heartfelt vocals delivered all the feels. They covered “WAGON WHEEL” by old crow medicine show then transitioned into “BANG BANG” by dispatch. these two will set the mood and just make you feel good.
MODERN CHEMISTRY: and then the rock and roll came. these new brunswick locals are a sight to see. they are playing at ZBT (basement show) on the 8th as well as the court tavern on the 16th. if you are looking for hard guitar riffs and the possibility of a mosh pit, these are your guys.
BANDCAMP // FREE SONGS
http://modernchemistry.bandcamp.com
Carmen Falisi is a contributor for the Rutgers Review.
Photos by Courtney Gower.