World of Rock Rocks Columbia A. Studio

Photo courtesy of Nathan Stafford

Local bands Laurel, Penny, Fools Gold, Mulch and Black Baccara Saturday represented different sides of the rock genre and recorded their raw, live rock songs on Nov. 2 at Columbia Studio A.  

The World of Rock showcase was produced by Patrick Weaver, a senior Audio Engineering major at Belmont University and the bassist of Black Baccara.  

Weaver formed this showcase out of his inspiration from ‘The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus,’ which featured a lineup of guest artists.  

Photo courtesy of Nathan Stafford

“I was very inspired by that piece specifically as well as the Talking Heads’ ‘Stop Making Sense’ and wanted to do a project of my own where I could stamp a moment in time during my time at Belmont,” said Weaver.  

With his production experience with the Belmont Showcase Series, Weaver said he felt confident he could put on a show. 

Knowing that these bands have smaller audiences, Weaver said he promoted the Showcase through posters and offering Well Core.  

Through organizing this showcase, Weaver said he intended to provide new learning experiences to emerging audio engineers.  

“I’ve recruited a small team of audio engineers who are freshmen and sophomores to give them a learning experience and take away from a show like this and be able to apply to other aspects,” said Weaver.  “I want this, what I do, to hopefully inspire other rising audio engineer students to do daring projects of their own because you only go to college for this once.” 

The pop-rock band Laurel kicked off the night and filled in for the band Henri.  

Lead singer Laurel Fallis caught the crowd’s attention with powerful vocals during “Watch Me Burn" and set up the night with anticipation.  

Photo courtesy of Nathan Stafford

Penny, a folk-rock trio, then took the stage and performed “Ghost,” “The Fool” and “Harmless Sin.”  

The trio switched from singing in sync to alternating solos while entrancing the crowd with tight harmonies.  

Fool's Gold gave a high energy performance with catchy vocals from Beatrice DeTrolio and an upbeat stage presence from guitarist Nick Calamar.  

The crowd showed enthusiasm throughout their set.  

World of Rock is Fool’s Gold’s first Nashville show with all members. The band used the gig as an opportunity to debut a few new singles and test out new material.  

We're planning on doing perhaps a little live release, so we're going to debut a couple new singles,” said DeTroloio.  

Photo courtesy of Nathan Stafford

Before the band Molch’s instrumental set, everyone in the crowd clapped in unison. 

The four-piece band’s impressive prog-rock sound captured the audience for their entire set.  

The alternative-rock band Black Baccara closed off the night.  

The band members jumped around the studio and introduced a heavier sound than the previous bands.  

Noel Williams’ growling vocals on “Sacrifice,” “Poltergeist” and “Static Dreams” received roaring applause from the crowd.  

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This article was written by Sarah Baker