Rock showcase pleases crowd with unique sound, relaxing feel

Greeted with a brochure and a raffle number, prospective and current Belmont students entered the Curb Event Center to see the third showcase of the season Saturday night – the Rock Showcase.

The night overall had a surprisingly relaxing feel, but there were a few songs that broke that mold. Each band had a unique style and proved why it had been chosen to perform.

The first band to take the stage was Pineapple Tours. A previously Internet-only band, it kicked the night off with a bit of technical difficulty. Lake Markham, the lead singer and guitarist, played it off well and was able to make the audience laugh more than once.

“The frontman of each band has progressively more hair, ” said Markham.

Once the issues were resolved, Pineapple Tours went into its set. On a stage set up with four television screens playing stock footage, the band performed two of its own songs, including “Hometown Blues,” and finished off with a Bob Dylan cover. Even though Pineapple Tours had some difficulties getting started, it certainly set the mood for what ended up being a fun night.

After traveling from Atlanta the day before, Ivory Coast was the second band to perform at the showcase. The description of the band’s sound as “psych-rock” in the program was completely accurate – it has that kind of sound that you just don’t want to stop listening to. Accented by the various flowered panels onstage and even a couple flowers on Patrick Sewalk’s guitar head, Ivory Coast gave an awesome performance.

Kyler Daron took the stage to a large cheer of “we love you, Kyler” from the back. There was a variety of instruments onstage, and they all worked together to create a great sound that got the audience going. With the well-placed twist on the lyric “he doesn’t look a thing like Jesus” from “When You Were Young” by The Killers, Daron had the audience laughing and singing along.

The final act was Forest Fire Gospel Choir. The songs that FFGC performed stood out as more energetic than some of the others, and that clearly left an impression on those listening. From the beginning of its set, there was a cluster of fans who gathered at the front of the stage and stayed there until the end of the band’s own song, “Lightning.”

“These guys have had a good time. I think I’ll take them home,” said Will McGee, the lead vocalist.

In a true “last but not least” fashion, FFGC was announced as the winner of the Rock Showcase and will perform in the spring at the Best of the Best Showcase.

Photos by Hunter Morgan.

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