By Nicole Ferrito
Correspondent
Students got to kick off the weekend on the right note, with a performance from Maryland rock band, The Dangerous Summer. They opened their College Union Board performance with an intense showing of their song “Permanent Rain” and brought the Rathskeller crowd to its feet.
The Dangerous Summer consists of lead singer and bass guitarist AJ Perdomo, rhythm guitarist and background vocalist Cody Payne, lead guitarist Bryan Czap and percussionist Tyler Minsberg.
Perdomo greeted the students with energy and encouraged his fans to stand in the front. As their first song began with an exciting clash of the drums followed by the guitars and vocals, a group of fans had gathered at the foot of the stage and were singing along. Their songs, such as “Reaching for the Sun,” were sung with much emotion and angst as the lead singer belted lyrics like, “I wrote a song about war / The kind that lives in your head / I found a place I can sit / A place where everyday light hits.”
“They were lively and energetic,” said Josh Lewkowicz, sophomore interactive multimedia major, who helped set up the band’s equipment. The band kept their powerful stage presence throughout the entire performance.
Between songs, Perdomo thanked the students for coming out and supporting them, and talked of how he wished he had his own college experience. He even mentioned, in a comical manner, how he knows college kids do not have a lot of money, and then said he would charge students whatever they were willing to pay for their band sweatshirts, T-shirts and CDs.
“He really, really stressed how lucky we are to be college kids, because he never had that opportunity because he was always playing music,” said Joey DiCarlo, sophomore political science major.
After the show, the band members urged the audience to come talk to them.
“This is my second time seeing them,” said Madison Ouellette, freshman biology major. She also enjoyed how the setting was “more intimate.”
Two opening bands preceded the Dangerous Summer. The first was a rock-and-roll band called Gianna’s Sweet Debut. Loud and lively, they started off the night, with a dynamic performance. They are made up of five members — two of them are students here at the College. Chase Destierro, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, is a senior early childhood education major. Matt Mance, junior interactive multimedia major and Signal Photo Assistant, sang and played the keyboard and guitar.
“It’s really awesome to have an opportunity to be able to open for them,” said Destierro, on his reaction to The Dangerous Summer.
The second opener was a band from New York City, The Condition. They had a more alternative rhythm and great vocals. They performed “a song about college” and “a song about being a college kid.”
The animated stage presence and energetic rock music of the opening bands got the crowds clapping and warmed up. By the time The Dangerous Summer stepped on stage, the eager crowd was pumped up and anxious to hear them play.
To watch an exclusive interview with The Dangerous Summer’s AJ Perdomo, visit tcnjsignal.net.
