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alternative, bands, bar, Central Michigan University, college life, Elliot Street Lunatic, Gentle Thursday, Hunter's Ale House, indie rock, night out, rock music, The Jane Thatcher Band, The Patient Zeros, We Are Moses
I don’t know how other universities do it, but Central Michigan takes care of the kids here. On the Thursday and Friday before final exam week, we don’t have any classes and we call this time “Gentle Thursday” and “Gentle Friday.” You may part-take in fun activities on campus and around town, sleep, study, catch up with friends, whatever you choose to do with that extra spare time. Either way, it’s totally awesome.
I had my very first massage on Thursday, because they were offering free ones at the Bovee University Center, as part of the relaxation theme. Unfortunately, they timed it for only five minutes. Have you ever seen the TV show Friends? Remember that episode Phoebe gave Monica a massage? I had to stop myself from having the same reaction Monica had to the wonders that were happening to her back.
At Hunter’s Ale
I went out with my friend and partner in crime Amber the same night to watch four bands play at Hunter’s Ale House. We both ordered martinis, talked about summer plans, classes and politics, and had a great time. (I want to thank our cool waitress Erin for her patience and attentive service. Nice girl.) It was our first time there and I’ll definitely come back to that bar, because they got a funky atmosphere and interior, and the prices aren’t bad.
The show started at 8:30, but we arrived not until 9 and by then, the first band was almost through their set. The bands playing were The Jane Thatcher Band, The Patient Zeros, Elliot Street Lunatic and We Are Moses. All rock bands with different styles and one of them came all the way from Denver, Colorado (I think it was Patient Zeros). My classmate Nate plays guitar in We Are Moses, and I was really glad to finally see him play live, because I’ve been meaning to attend his band’s performances the entire semester.
I really liked The Patient Zeros. The drummer is a killer and the guitarist has that kind of voice that will help him get ahead in the business. In my opinion, a real singer must have a distinguished vocal sound. Otherwise, he or she will simply sound like any other generic pop singer they play on the radio nowadays, like Katy Perry, One Direction and Taylor Swift.
I wanted to film at least one song by We Are Moses, but my phone died so I hope you’ll appreciate this song on their website (“Salt Lake”). Nate told me after the show that they’re working on an album that they’ll probably release in the fall.
http://wearemoses.bandcamp.com/track/salt-lake-re-mix
There is something really cool in watching an intimate concert, especially at a bar, with the surrounding sub-groups continuing their murmured-blended conversations and their movements around the location, the clicking of glasses and silverware, the occasional burst of laughter, the music from the speakers beaming into your skull. You’re so close to the musicians. You can see every expression on their faces, their passion and their sweat. You can clearly see the cords and equipment on the stage, which makes you (or maybe only in my case) feel like you’re put in the middle of the show, because there’s nothing refined about the image, just raw, beautiful, musical goodness.
One interesting thing that happened towards the end was that the girl’s bass broke. The band handled the situation with great humor, which I think was very cool. One band member from Elliot Street Lunatic lent a bass to her and Nate was really funny; he played some notes on his guitar and sang something along the lines, “Saving the day, saving the day.”
It felt great being there that night, laughing with people and enjoying the music. That’s how it should be.
The Bands
We Are Moses- www.facebook.com/weareMoses
The Patient Zeros- www.facebook.com/thepatientzeros
Elliot Street Lunatic- www.facebook.com/ElliotStreetLunatic
The Jane Thatcher Band- www.facebook.com/steadfastacrobats