Lowlights and thumping bass greeted students as they entered the basement of Reid Campus Center on Nov. 15, where the air was filled with a palpable energy as three bands took the stage to gather Whitman’s music lovers for a historic concert.
The concert, hosted by Whitman’s radio station KWCW, showcased the talents of Love Brunch, Les Gold and 60Juno.
Junior Lucky Eden, the General Manager of KWCW, helped to plan the concert and explained the extensive process it took to find and bring multiple bands to campus.
“At the end of last year, I started reaching out to every band I knew or could think of,” Eden said. “I reached out to about 15 bands and most of them got back to me and were interested. That’s how we found 60Juno.”
60Juno was the headliner of Saturday’s concert, beginning their performance after Love Brunch and Les Gold opened the show. Love Brunch is a band made up of Whitman students, while Les Gold is a band who came to Whitman from Portland. The concert’s music was mainly alternative indie rock, with some punk influence filled with high-energy sets. To allow attendees more space, the couches that usually fill Reid basement were pushed aside for people to dance to their heart’s content.
When speaking on finding openers for the concert, Eden mentioned that Les Gold wanted to perform at Whitman.
“Les Gold did reach out to us. They’re a Portland based band, and they said they wanted to come play,” Eden said.
Negotiating with professional bands took time and effort for KWCW, working out a balance between professional concert and student entertainment.
“It’s a lot of back and forth about what everyone wants. Obviously [things] like pay and expectations. We got contracts signed and we got a professional sound and lights guy to work the event as well,” Eden said.
Alongside the KWCW council, the First Responders Club worked on the event to offer first aid to anyone who may need it while also providing information at a table near the concert.
Accalia Quintana, Sophomore and Communications Officer for the First Responders Club, spoke on the club’s involvement in the concert.
“Lucky [Eden] reached out to me,” Quintana said. “We’re doing [collaborations] with any club that runs big events at Whitman, so if any emergencies happen during the event we are there to provide advanced first aid.”
Quintana mentioned that having access to formal first aid at events allows larger events to be planned effectively and align with school safety policy.
“[Having first aid] helps the club get approval for the event. They have to pass some sort of safety regulations for the event to get approved at Whitman,” Quintana said.
The hard work of all the student organizations involved paid off, with KWCW’s first professional concert drawing in a large crowd of enthusiastic students.
“[It’s] lots of work. It’s very exciting that it’s finally happening,” Eden said.
This concert is only the beginning of professional bands performing with the help of KWCW, with Eden mentioning how the concert figured into KWCW’s broader goals for the future.
“Last year we did a lot of student band concerts, so we’re excited to do professional ones,” Eden said. “I have a really awesome team who has been working to improve things and be more active, so this is one of our big milestones that we have been trying to hit.”
Arlo Ematrudo, a first-year, was happy to be at the concert and heard about it through the communities he engages in at Whitman.
“I’m very excited, I love live music. There’s been posters everywhere, and my RA is in Love Brunch and I wanted to come see them perform,” Ematrudo said.
The concert brought a variety of students together, bringing a crowd for both old and new fans to enjoy live music on campus.
