By Raquel Sosa
Correspondent
Three bands took the stage in the Brower Student Center this week — Downer, Heart Attack Man and headlining band Old Gray.
CUB Alt’s third concert in their series started off in true alternative rock band fashion — loud.
Earplugs were seen on those who knew to bring them, and those who didn’t experienced the concert raw.
Hailing from local Tabernacle, New Jersey, Downer opened the event with a bang. The lead vocalist, Josh O’Hara, reached higher registers than one would expect for an alternative metal band.
The audience seemed to identify with some of Downer’s more raw themes, such as battling depression and internal struggle. Music fan Kenny Byles also acknowledged his vocal range, which soared to extreme highs and ignited the audience.
“I’ve never seen Downer before. The lead singer’s vocal range is crazy,” she said.
The lights came out when Heart Attack Man took the stage next. Green neon signs that read, “Heart Attack Man” and “The Manson Family” and bathed room 100W in a soft green glow.
Once Heart Attack Man began to set up, it was apparent that the audience would be in for a “different indie vibe,” as described by audience member Gabby Fils-Aime, a freshman at Rider University.
The first three songs the two band members, Eric Egan and Adam Paduch, performed left the audience buzzing.
“It’s sort of haunting,” said Ashley Sweeny, an avid follower of the band, who traveled to the College to see the show.
The track that gained the most reaction from the audience was the band’s song, “The Manson Family.” The crowd swayed with feeling in typical indie fashion.
Topping off the night was the much anticipated Old Gray. Audience members seemed to resonate with this band, as the crowd grew more and more anxious by the moment.
A few fans followed the band’s lead singer, who plays in another pop punk band named Sorority Noise.
As the show progressed, the crowd grew, seemingly unaffected by the sheer volume of each performance. Lead vocalist, Cameron Boucher, showcased his own vocal capacity in “Everything is in Your Hands,” an emotionally driven song. The song’s closing lyrics, “I can haunt you too if you want me to,” stuck with the band’s last chord of the night.
The audience diversified as the night drew on, many coming from all over New Jersey to see Old Gray perform.
“It was totally worth the drive,” said Kate Orsini, a sophomore at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
Old Gray intoxicated the crowd with mesmerizing and lyrics that alluded to depression and self loathing that many could empathize with. Their song, “Razor Blade,” caught the attention of many with lyrics about a suicidal friend in desperate need of help.
By the middle of the night, there was no question that Old Gray was a great hit within the rock and indie-loving niche in this community. The sheer volume of these bands was not the only aspect heard outside of Brower, as many outsiders piled in to see their favorite bands play.
“It’s really poetic,” audience member Adam Charles IV said. “A lot of people here came from other place. Old Gray is universal like that.”
