WNYO holds fall concert on campus, students inundate the Laker Lounge
On Friday, Oct. 16, the on-campus radio station WNYO hosted a free concert. The concert featured three acts from different parts of Upstate New York. This event was put together by the general manager of the station, Ben Goldblatt, and music director Andrew Valentine, who worked hard to organize these events for SUNY Oswego.
When asked, they stated their goal was to “attract as much awareness to the club, as well as showing people cool bands and allowing them to unwind and have fun for a few hours.” Having no set criteria for genre or bands, found through Instagram DMs or even connections with other bands around the state, all they wanted was alt-rock and easy listening that anyone can come and enjoy well also helping support up-and-coming bands around New York State.
Held in the Laker Lounge of Marano Campus Center, the doors opened at 7:00 p.m., with the music set to start at 7:30 p.m. Unlike the last concerts WNYO has hosted, this one was free, drawing in a bigger crowd of people hoping to see a good show, and if they had paid, they definitely would have gotten their money’s worth.
The first band to go on was Doomsday Mechanics (“Snap Apple Night”), an alt rock band hailing from Cooperstown, NY, and their powerful, raw, jangly guitar with gruff vocals makes you feel like a 90s band you found on your dad’s CD that you can’t wait to brag to your friends that you’ve found.
Their alt-rock helped start the night and get everyone excited for what was next if these guys were only the openers. Following them was We Were Blank (“Always has been”), a pop punk/emo band from Buffalo, NY, whose droning guitars mixed with roaring vocals blended to create this wall of sound that had you ready to create a mosh pit, as well as the emotional lyrics having you reflect on all you have ever done. A staple part of the emo scene that has been seen in recent years. Both bands had to get the audience to ease up and let the music move them forward; the lead singer of We Were Blank even mentioned they should step forward, to which everyone did.
Halfway through their set, the crowd loosened up, with some taking to the center to let go, and even though it only lasted for a couple of songs with We Were Blank, the next band took control of that energy. The closer of the concert was Take Steps (“Fighting Chance”), a melodic hardcore/punk band from the state capital, Albany, NY. There was a lot of hype surrounding them, as a ton of people had the shirts on and waited in anticipation for the band to take the stage. Before the band played a note, you could feel the energy shift.
As they started, the tight-packed group in front of the stage for We Were Blank disappeared as it opened into a mosh pit. Their fast-paced pop-punk and metal riffs, combined with melodic singing that could switch to thundering screams, made the mosh pits understandable. Their lead singer stepped into the mosh pit and let some of those in it yell the lyrics into the microphone. The concert ended with a cover of Josie by the staple pop-punk band Blink-182, a seemingly perfect way to end the night.
At the end, and even during the concert, people were huddled around the band’s merch table, happy to support real music and the community, supporting these artists and their hard work. Thankfully, if you missed this concert, it was being recorded and has been posted to YouTube for all to see, with plans of doing more in the future.
Even if it’s not your taste in music, you should attend the next event; maybe you’ll find a new band you like, make some new friends, or even forget about your worries for a while and feel closer to a community when communities are becoming ever more distant.
