Max Newland, bassist for the Vanderbuilts, took the stage in front of a familiar audience: his classmates.

‘It’s always fun to play a show for people you know,’ said Newland, a junior environmental studies major at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. ‘As long as they don’t completely hate us.’

The Vanderbuilts headlined the ‘ESF Rocks!’ concert Saturday night at the Nifkin Lounge. ESF’s student activity programming board hosted the event to showcase the university’s array of talented student bands and invited Beneficial Tomatoes, a New York City-based rock group, as one of the four bands to play.

A low-key atmosphere led up to the event, with students milling around on the dance floor and munching on chips. Not long after 7:15 p.m., the house lights dimmed and the first band took the stage.

Woodworks, a bluesy folk group featuring three members from ESF, opened the evening with a lengthy set. In between songs, the band spent time interacting with the crowd, who met most songs with scattered shouts and whistles.

‘The openers who played were cool,’ said Aya Yamamoto, a junior environmental biology major and violinist for the Vanderbuilts. ‘It’s always awesome to play with people you go to school with.’

The moody, funk-influenced folk played by Woodworks was matched by the stage lights, which danced in psychedelic hues of blue, green and magenta. The band ended their set with an emotional cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,’ met with the loudest cheer of the night from the audience.

Separated by a short sound check, members of The Live Effect, a four-piece rock band, strapped on their instruments and opened with a lively jam session.

‘The reception was great,’ said Peter Xavier, drummer and junior mechanical engineering major at Syracuse University. ‘People asked for an encore before we were even done. Not enough bands on campus get heard, so they should definitely have shows like this as many times as possible.’

The band enticed the crowd with a few original numbers written by guitarist Alex Bishop and closed out its set with a lengthy last track, earning a chorus of disappointed sighs after walking off the stage.

‘The only thing that could have gone better was more cowbell,’ Xavier said. ‘I handed one to a friend of mine in the audience, but she left before she got the chance to play it.’

The Vanderbuilts, a band that didn’t need much of an introduction after making waves in the local Syracuse music scene last year when they won SU’s Battle of the Bands, began their set with a few songs from their extended play record ‘Far From Here.’ The show began after the band combated technical difficulties that plagued the beginning of their performance.

The technical struggles didn’t faze lead singer and guitarist Sam Kogon, who appreciated the opportunity to headline the show’s ESF bands.

‘We were thrilled when we were asked to headline tonight,’ said Kogon, a junior environmental policy major. ‘It’s always a great feeling to be able to headline a concert.’

The group has a new record coming out in mid-December, though the band members played dumb about what fans can expect.

‘The album’s title is under wraps for now, but we’ll announce it soon,’ Kogon said. ‘Fans can expect something similar to the EP, but with some cool new things. We’re really excited to get it out there.’

The band wrapped up to a booming round of applause from the audience huddling around the stage, a welcome feeling for a band that has played around the Syracuse area.

‘We mostly do shows wherever people ask us to play,’ said Dave Riddell, a multi-instrumentalist junior environmental science major. ‘So, of course, it’s nice to play a show on campus, where more people know us.’

After Beneficial Tomatoes closed out the night with a rousing set, the house lights flipped back on and students shuffled out of the lounge.

‘It was a really cool idea for an event,’ Kogon said. ‘It gave ESF a chance to enjoy music from their own classmates, and it goes to show how many talented groups we have here.’

ervanrhe@syr.edu

Published on November 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman