Tessa Climer, ‘Doah Staff Writer
February 4, 2015

The past two Saturdays, I decided to switch up my normal weekend routine and attend the event “Bands in the Basement.” The title is pretty self-explanatory; two bands each Saturday held a concert in the Health and Life Sciences Building basement. I would have never thought to have a concert in the basement of an on-campus building, but to my surprise, it was a really awesome space to have an event. The acoustics sounded better than they would have in a house basement, and there was plenty of breathing room as well as a lot of space for the bands to work with. It gave off a relaxed, fun concert vibe, which can be harder to pull off than you think.

The first Saturday, Jan. 24, Poncho Motel opened for Sono Lumini. Both bands had really good sets filled with some covers and originals. Poncho Motel (Natalie Ahearn, Joel Flores, Danny Dannyq Halpren, Adam Rizor and Sam Zimmerman) gave an excellent rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” that got the crowd singing and dancing along. Sono Lumini (Galen Mooney, Dustin Goddard, Julian Danger Goddard, Bronsen Euard and Phil Gayle) got everyone up and dancing as well. They had an array of covers that they performed, one being Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name,” which in my opinion was almost better than the original. As an audience member, seeing the chemistry and positive energy within a band as they play a show is a huge deal. For me, it just shows that they are really enjoying themselves, and they are there for the love of the music. These two bands definitely gave us that, as well as a killer performance.

On Jan. 31, the two bands that performed were Cellar and Planeview. I had never heard either one of these bands before tonight, but I definitely would like to hear them again. Cellar (Michael Mason, Tyler Darkrai Altstatt, Galen Clark and Joshua Pare) played a great set of various songs including songs off of their new EP. They had a very indie and alternative sound that went well with the venue, even with their special guest appearance from a few trombone and trumpet players. It was seriously awesome; good job guys! Planeview (Nors Hexum, Stephen Readyoff, Harrison Schönberger and Sam Zimmerman) was the last band of the event but definitely not the least. Towards the beginning of their set, vocalist Sam Zimmerman mentioned how he thought it was really cool that our school had events like this, and he’s absolutely right.

This event is a prime example of why we love our school. Not everyone gets to have a two-weekend concert to show off our awesome bands. Shenandoah has so much talent, and we are given opportunities to share it with our friends and whoever else wants to come out! I really hope to see events like this more often and if you didn’t come this time, make sure to make it out to the next one. Music, friends and great times: How could you not want to go? Okay, I know that was totally lame, but seriously! Check out the Student Life Facebook page for more events like this one!