By Nancy Bowne and Asaka Park
Staff Writer and Contributor
The Aces held a virtual concert for students at the College, hosted by CUB, on Oct. 21. The Aces are an indie-pop band from Polva, Utah, composed of members Katie Henderson, McKenna Petty, Alisa Ramirez and Cristal Ramirez. They released their album “Under My Influence” this July, and they plan to tour for the album next spring.
Wednesday's concert was the third installment for “On Your Campus Virtual Tour,” which has featured performers such as emerging rapper Rico Nasty.
A few seconds into the opening bassline of The Aces’ performance, the multicolored spotlights panned onto the band members, like the flashing headlights on a street in a busy city, often described in the band’s lyrics. While they kept their commentary limited, they would occasionally thank the viewers for joining their performance. The four band members assembled around a drum kit, a keyboard, and a variety of guitars in which they would trade from time to time. Transitions often seemed edited, or maybe they were just efficient in moving along to the next song.
With Cristal Ramirez on lead vocals, the quartet cycles through different instrumentation, such as guitar, keyboards and backing vocals. Cristal presents like a slightly broodier Dua Lipa, carrying herself with a composed swagger as she sings about desire, heartache and growing pains.
“Event planning during a remote semester has definitely been different to say the least,” said Delia Noone, a junior marketing major and the CUB executive event coordinator. “At CUB, we're used to huge in-person events, so over the past several months we've had to learn a lot about how to transition into a virtual space with some cool new technology.”
Noone said that she booked The Aces through an agency specializing in college concerts. "We thought now would be a great time to test out artists and genres we probably wouldn't book in a normal semester to see how the student body responds," she said.
In the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, CUB members quickly adapted to the virtual college environment and the shrinking budget. "We started planning our virtual tour at the beginning of the summer,” Noone said. “It's awesome to see the shows finally coming to fruition after sitting on them for so long.”
“I’ve been listening to the band since they dropped their newest album, ‘Under my Influence,’” said Zach Rich, a junior computer science major. “My brother got me into their music.”
Instead of cheering and clapping, the crowd showed their enthusiasm by commenting on the chat function under the stream. Rich, a frequent CUB concert goer, said he enjoyed the livestream. For him, it was easy to access, and he enjoyed the band's Q&A and social media posts.
“Obviously it’s not gonna be the same as an in-person show, but I think they did a pretty good job with it,” he said.
To tune in for future concerts, students should create a Looper account using their College email, and click "reserve now" on the ones they wish to attend. Students can also follow this Instagram link for updates and announcements.
