By Justine Wilson
Staff Writer
The lights were dim, the vibe was chill and the Decker Social Space stage was set on Friday, Sept. 16, for CUB Alt’s Student Band Night. With a pair of guitars, a recycling bin as a make-shift box drum and a banjo, Cartoon Physics was the first to take the stage. The astonishing cohesive duo comprises EJ Paras, a junior marketing major, and Lauren Muccilli, a junior English major, who opened the night with a wide-range of covers, such as “Art is Dead” by comedian Bo Burnham.
The next act to perform was Monster Run, who turned the room’s energy up a notch. Sean Cuddy, a freshmen finance major, had adoring fans yelling his name throughout the set. The other members of the band were friends of Cuddy, who go to other colleges, but together, Monster Run had a Weezer-like style, only heavier with amazing bass.
Later, on-campus alt-rock luminary Good Luck Spaceman closed the show. The band has five members: Jake Rubin, Mikey Rosen and Kyle Newins, all of whom are senior communication studies majors, Mike Laudenbach, a senior English and philosophy double major, and Danny Galli, a senior women’s gender studies and communication studies double major.
Unfortunately, Galli was not present, as was lamented by the band many times.
“We’re just four-fifths of Good Luck Spaceman,” members of the band said. “Danny left us for a wedding in Virginia... We’re more indie without him.”
Galli did not take the band’s amazing sound with him to Virginia, though. With intense drumming and strong vocals, the crowd was as into the music as it was the artists themselves. Good Luck Spaceman’s sound was a cross between Guster (circa 2010) and Fun, and gave off an incredible vibe when performing live. The audience could tell that each member truly loved their craft. Good Luck Spaceman performed an original set, featuring songs, such as “Basement Blues” and “Technicolor.”
CUB Alt co-Chair Dana Gorab, a junior communication studies major, who organized the event, discussed how College Union Board (CUB) helps make the music come to life.
“We had a typical turnout, a lot of support from friends of the performers and a few music enthusiasts, and us CUB members,” Gorab said. “All of the acts were great tonight. I was really getting into it.”
Months of planning goes into the CUB Alt events, especially nights featuring student acts.
“We have an open call over summer for students who would like to perform in the student band nights,” Gorab said. “Anyone can answer the call, and the groups that do are amazing.”
