Through music, we build a more engaged community, and what else is there to do on Tuesday nights than get beer sloshed on you in a basement filled with sweat and pop punk music? House shows are undoubtedly a part of New Paltz culture, DIY art and music scene of the Hudson Valley is inextricably intertwined with life as a SUNY New Paltz student.
The SUNY New Paltz Music Collective works to highlight the connection between New Paltz students and music, meeting to discuss new music and putting on shows. Their meetings serve as a place to gather and make connections with other students who care about the same music as they do.
This past Saturday, the SUNY New Paltz Music Collective hosted a showcase of local bands in SUB 416. The lineup included Woodshedding, Run for the Whales, Tiny Blue Ghost and Cloud District. It seems that the fourth floor of the SUB is not the most conducive to strong show attendance, and also made it difficult for the bands (all current or former SUNY New Paltz students, save for Cloud District) to get all their gear assembled.
This particular show was a bit hectic due to these circumstances, and the bands also struggled to get sound as there was some miscommunication between the Music Collective and student activities. I feel the need to note that the lighting consisted of the lamps in residence halls on campus, as that gave me a good chuckle. In the future, the Collective hopes for better venues.
Following a rocky start, the show went off without a hitch, flooding the fourth floor of the SUB with different variations of local indie rock. Woodshedding opened the show, offering a warm and cheery pop-punk sound, followed shortly by Run for the Whales, who brought more of the same. Tiny Blue Ghost played third, eliciting laughter and dancing from the audience with their snappy dream-rock. Following their performance, the crowd really thinned out, perhaps due to the lack of local interest in Cloud District.
Nonetheless, the show ran through the lineup without further issue, having successfully brought together students to enjoy some local music.
The music collective organizes three to four larger shows each semester, and usually about two smaller community-themed shows like this one.
“This show is unique because we usually bring in touring bands, but this one focused on local music and music made by New Paltz students,” said first-year Rebecca Kavaler, Music Collective president. “We really aim to promote the New Paltz music community.”
The Music Collective is expanding and reaching out to students in new and exciting ways, including a zine and a website.
“We just got cleared for more funding, so we’re looking to really expand with the zine, writing articles, printing photos and stuff and it’s all done by club members,” said first-year Jon Sherburne, the club’s Vice President. “We really want people to know what we’re doing, to get our club out there.”
For more information on the SUNY New Paltz Music Collective, you can follow them on Instagram (@npmusiccollective).