I stood in the dark backyard, waiting for the concert to begin as a blue glow poured from the open basement door. Regardless of how nervous I was, the warmth of the basement was inviting on such a cold evening. Plus, the friendliness of the strangers around me made me excited to descend into the concert with them.
As I stared at my reflection in the airport bathroom, trying to apply moisturizer to help soothe my sunburnt skin, my adrenaline was still high. I had just experienced the most eventful day of my life. My phone had pinged for the fifth time in the last hour — it was my mother checking up on me again. The screen lit up and taunted me, it was only 3:05 a.m. and I had two more hours until my flight arrived. My phone had finally cooled down after overheating repeatedly from the warmth of my palms over the last 24-hours.
When I’m faced with a domineering and shapeshifting worry, I tend to escape to music. This is how I found myself watching Adam Melchor perform live on stage. In the days before his performance, I felt burdened by the reminders of all that’s wrong with the world. Not just headlines of climate catastrophe, but also depictions of war, poverty, injustice and monumental suffering.
Al Menne’s songwriting process involves a lot of time journaling, but he admits that even what seems to be true might not be completely accurate. “I think that even just the way that people remember their own memories is kind of an embellishment in a way,” Menne said.
Between their chilling vocal harmonies and impressive musicianship, Seeing Double rivals bands that have been in the industry for years.
At the base of the Staller Center steps, five artists prepared to perform for a crowd awaiting the sweet sensations of live music to fill their ears. This is The Bash — the second installment of the freeform outdoor music festival hosted by Stony Brook University’s radio station WUSB.
The crowd pushed towards the stage. Fingers were pointed. Lyrics were yelled, and as a heavy metal drummer played us out, I was struck with the impression that the night was a special one.
“Sometimes it feels like events at Stony Brook are forced, but this did not feel that way at all,” rising senior Clare Dana said. “The Bash felt like the most student-led event I’ve been to; it felt like the people who put it together really cared about it and I think that’s what made it so successful.”
Perhaps one of Stony Brook’s most highly anticipated events of the spring semester, Brookfest finally made its return. Rapper Young M.A and R&B artist Capella Grey performed to a sold-out crowd before headliner Gunna took the stage for the first Brookfest in two years.