Columns

By Nate Seltenrich

Nate's Greats: Jack shown little respect

By Nate Seltenrich

Ass't Scene Editor

Jack Johnson fulfilled his part of the bargain Sunday night at the Leavey Center. He showed a great surf video, played a solid and lengthy set, and appeared to really enjoy performing for us. Santa Clara students, on the other hand, didn't do such a stellar job. Throughout the majority of the evening, the music seemed to be of secondary importance to the event itself.

Many students apparently forgot that this was a concert and not a party or social gathering. A concert is not just an opportunity to get wasted, to meet with your friends and discuss the latest gossip, or to call your girlfriend on your cell phone. It is a chance to hear musicians perform live music, and should be valued for that above all else. As a concert-goer, all you have to do is show up, listen and have a good time. And yes, two out of three is bad.

I have never before at any concert seen so much chatting, belligerence and general apathy toward the music. I felt surrounded by students who were genuinely disinterested in what was happening onstage. The talking never ceased throughout "Thicker than Water," a movie that Johnson wrote and directed about surf trips that him and his buddies had taken.

People shouted repeatedly in my ear, calling to friends, as I tried to listen to opening act Mason Jennings. I saw two girls holding a conversation with their backs to the stage throughout most of Jennings' performance. Cell phones were everywhere I turned. A fight almost broke out behind me during Johnson's set.

Besides the fact that this is all disrespectful to the musicians, especially at smaller venues like Leavey, these types of things also negatively affect the experiences of those who are there for the music.

"If you just want to get drunk, you can go somewhere else and not ruin the music for me," said sophomore Sarah Stromska, who also attempted to enjoy the concert from the dance floor. "Some people seemed to be there just to get drunk or high and didn't care about the music itself."

Concerts can serve many different purposes. They can help release stress after a tough week, make for a fun night out with friends, and even be a good way to meet new people. But above all, concerts are about the music. Maybe a few of us at Santa Clara just need to be reminded of that.

KSCU: Audiocrush is on its way up

By Cameron Collins

KSCU

On Saturday at the Hava Java Cafe on the UC Santa Cruz campus, an amazing free concert went on featuring Stunt Monkey, Audiocrush, Dexter Danger and Inverness.

While I had to sneak in as a member of the Stunt Monkey Crew (and I actually did sell merchandise) and other KSCU friends and family members ended up having to sneak on campus by jumping barbed wire fences and crawling through the mud, the UC Santa Cruz students who were simply able to walk in were not disappointed.

While all the bands put on great sets, it was Santa Cruz's own Audiocrush that stole the show. Fresh off an appearence opening for the legendary Social Distortion, Audiocrush threw out an amazing set that dazzled all.

Yet, with members of Fury 66, Good Riddance and the original incarnation of Audiocrush, how can you go wrong?

Every time they perform the music seems to develop all that much more, as the newer songs are more intricate and layered and the older tracks are simply genius. as the band grows, so does their following.

From the beginning of their set, Audiocrush had the crowd in awe with the melodic thrashing of "Autumn Leaves" off of their So You Call these Flowers e.p.

From there the set continued on for another hypnotic 40 minutes until it came to a crashing halt that left the audience yearning for more as they all rushed to the merchandise booth to buy CDs and tee shirts.

KSCU and Santa Clara University will be host to Audiocrush, along with The Story and Exhibit Q, on March 2 at the Brass Rail. It is highly recommended that you come out for the show, otherwise you wont be able to say you saw the band way back when. Without a doubt, these guys are going places.

Even if they are not the kind of band that would be featured on TRL, neither were the likes of Nirvana and Blink 182 (before Blink sold out, or "cashed in" as it were).

Audiocrush has a bright future before them and I can't wait to see to what heights they will go.