On March 27, in the Lankford Student Union Ballroom, some very talented Longwood Students were able to show off their musical chops at the WMLU sponsored Acoustic Night. The ballroom was completely decked out with all sorts of musical instruments and show lights. Not only was this a night for young musicians to let their talents soar but also, after the second performer, WMLU co-Bandfest chairs announced the 2013 Bandfest Line-up. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
To announce the bands who will be performing at Bandfest, WMLU put together a reveal video that started with the words “20 years in the making ... 8 bands ... and 7 hours of nonstop music.” Bandfest will be on April 12, starting at 4 p.m. behind the Student Union.
This was the first ever WMLU Acoustic Night, and the first performer definitely did himself proud.
Keith Baldwin played a variety of songs ranging from self-described offensive tunes and an original that really showed how raw a musician can be. At one point, Baldwin was getting suggestions from the crowd, and he really seemed to enjoy everyone singing along to Bloodhound Gang’s “The Roof is on Fire.” Baldwin told the crowd that when he first started rehearsing for the show, he did not have enough material for a whole set, so he had to learn a few covers almost on the fly. He rounded out what was left of his set with “Love Me Tender” by none other than the King himself, Elvis Presley.
The next performer, Justin Golden, broke out the stool and brought some serious style to the stage with his salmon colored pants. His blue guitar strap went well with the lighting of the room which changed halfway through his set, surprising everyone. One listener commented, “I could die listening to him,” which pretty much sums up the smiles and the intimateness of Golden’s set. He even said he was “trying to get real intimate, that’s why I am sitting down.” He knew the crowd was enjoying it, for more people kept trickling in. His last song, “You Got a Friend in Me” from “Toy Story” brought out the 90s kid in everyone there. Everyone’s face lit up immediately, and the clapping and singing definitely let Golden know that he “nailed it.”
The final two performers were Kyle Feathers and Moosetrap. Feathers had a very fascinating set with tons of talent. He covered The Dave Matthews Band, which was his favorite band growing up. He had only ever once before played one of their songs live, but he definitely made the crowd happy with his rendition of “Ants Marching.” Hearing people say that he had a fantastic tone and seeing audience members mouth the words really sold the set.
The final performer of the night was a band that calls themselves Moosetrap. Pretty much everyone was surprised when band member Chip Hale sat down to play the drums and the guitar at the same time! The four members of Moosetrap were what I call “The Vest Men,” mostly because of their snappy outfits. There were so many instruments that were played during their set, including a mandolin, guitars, banjos, harmonica, drums and some sort of strange lap guitar that had to be played while sitting. Their sound was very folksy and had a nice twang to it, kind of reminding me of The Avett Brothers.
All in all, WMLU’s first ever Acoustic Night was a huge success, and I’m sure they were proud of their night.
Band Fest Lineup
She’s A Legend
Feed God Cabbage
Hurt
Little Hurricane
Smile Empty Soul
Danko Jones
Immortal Technique
Local H
