Whitstock, Whitman’s annual music festival featuring live bands, food and a poster sale at the Reid Side Lawn, was held on Saturday.
The poster sale was a huge success, with large crowds of students intently gathering around the selection all day, observing which poster would best adorn their dorm room. The selection was extensive; students could choose anything from a poster of “Weezer” to Salvador Dali’s “The Meditative Rose” to “The Muppet’s Fraggle Rock.” First year Matt Goldfogel seemed particularly pleased with his choices. “I got ‘Viva la Relativity’ (a combo of Ché Guevara and Albert Einstein), and ‘The Boondock Saints’ because it’s the most awesome action movie in recent years.”
As students continued to gather around the poster selection, Whitman’s co-ed a capella group, Schwa, took the stage. The group sang a variety of popular songs including an entertaining rendition of “Hips don’t Lie” by Shakira, with members of the group singing, beatboxing and joyously howling.
“The Band Before Time” rocked the crowd, playing funky versions of cover songs like “Billy Jean” by Michael Jackson and “Digital Love” by Daft Punk. The band also played an original tune titled “Ode of Steve Irwin” because the lead guitarist said, “The song really stings.” This song grooved heavily with a nice chorus effect on the lead guitar line. TBBT concluded with “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye but in a funky style that seemed reminiscent of the band “G Love and Special Sauce.”
As Whitman students swiped their I.D. cards and waited for their portions of sandwiches, pasta salad, watermelon and brownies, the two person band “Brazz Tree” from New York City took the stage as the final performing group at Whitstock. “Brazz Tree” graced the ears of Whitman students as they relaxed on the side lawn with singing, acoustic guitar and acoustic violin. The group performed entirely originals with the one exception of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. First year Mara Chang-Northway said, “The music is good to eat to!” as she bit down on a big piece of watermelon.
Sophomore Ellie Klein, the public events chair, planned Whitstock with the intention of having a fun, laid back atmosphere because, she said, “Last year’s Whitstock was a little overbearing.”
During the whole event, students were chilling on the grass listening to the music, checking out the posters or enjoying socializing. Also, if you went to Whitstock and enjoyed it, there are many more performances to look forward to. “Blitzen Trapper” will be playing at a special coffeehouse performance in the Reid Ballroom this Friday. Renowned DJ “Girl Talk,” who is known for creating sample-based remixes, will be performing at Whitman on Oct. 14.
