On Friday Feb. 13, the College Union Board hosted a trio of acts for its Student Band Night at the Rathskeller. The Poor Player, Pegasus Jetpack and the future Lupe Fiasco/Ludacris opener, Attic, all performed on the Rat stage.
The first band of the evening was The Poor Player, a rock and soul amalgamation. Led by Erik Romero, Player played with some effective guitar effects choices, an electric organ from the keyboard and the occasional saxophone interlude.
Toward the end of the set, the group moved onto its only cover, the Marty McFly skateboarding anthem, "The Power of Love." Heavier than the original, Player's rendering of the song fit in nicely, becoming a crowd favorite.
"Huey Lewis and The News," Romero said, "(was) the end of music."
While they often gave off a vibe of occult romanticism similar to The Doors, their overall sound was similar to The Jam, with jazz-inspired rock and a shade of psychedelia.
Next up was Attic, the student opening act for the upcoming Lupe Fiasco and Ludacris Spring Concert. Consisting of seniors Pierre Miller, biochemistry and music major, Dan McFadden, psychology major, and Mina Greiss, biology and health and exercise science major, Attic was the most heavily anticipated group of the night.
After sound checks and tuning, the act opened with a cover of Maroon 5's "This Love" and then eventually went on to cover Extreme's "More Than Words."
Attic, a hip hop and R&B hybrid focused on basic keyboard and drum rhythms, is more or less an outlet to showcase the vocals of Greiss.
Powerful, commanding and versatile, Greiss' vocal abilities are more than adequate.
Soon the group moved on to a cover of Mario's "Just a Friend," a refitted version of the Biz Markie classic. But by the end of the act, much of the material started to sound like David Broom's "Come On, Be My Baby Tonight."
Pegasus Jetpack closed out the night, playing on with evenhanded rock driven by some nice slap bass.
Although firmly planted in rock, Jetpack gets away with perfect use of the synthesizer, often called the most annoying creature in the instrumental kingdom.
Not quite tokenism, the device was used for that ideal dash of whatever might be missing from their sound to merit the use of the synth.
