The contributing artists of Lawrence’s first pop compilation CD will perform at the release concert Friday night at 10 p.m. in the Underground Coffeehouse.
The CD will be free to all concert attendees, thanks to the Alyssa Paul Maria Fund for campus activities.
At this concert, “pop” is intended to refer not to a single style of music but instead to popular music that is alternative to what the Con produces. There are many different styles represented on the CD, from a cappella and acoustic to rock.
Each of the bands will take the stage for 15 minutes for a total of two hours of eclectic music. Bands scheduled to perform include Arcadia, Denes, Yukon Ho!, 8bitbEtty, The Blueberry Scones, The Honey Bee Farmers (formerly Bored to Tears), The Con Artists, and Left at Atlantic.
Pete Snyder was the both the creator and organizer of the CD release and the concert. The idea began when he noticed the number of pop groups on campus. Snyder said that because most of the band members are actively considering music as a career, he thought it would be “fun to have a record of that stored, like there are of the classical and jazz students.”
The process of creating a CD includes finding funds, attracting groups, getting a discount rate at a recording studio, mixing the tracks, and putting on a concert to promote the music. SOUP and the Alyssa Paul Maria Fund both contributed financially.
Snyder already knew about many of the groups since they had performed a number of times in various venues throughout the year. The bands were allowed two free hours at Rock Garden Studio, and the mixing was done at Vector CDs, both in Appleton.
Harji Bedi of Left at Atlantic was contacted at the end of winter term about being a part of the project. The songs that Left at Atlantic recorded were “Rainy Day,” and “Thinking of You.”
“It was great that Pete got motivated and found the money and time to do this,” Bedi noted. “It is a great project to promote music on the campus that isn’t academic, and to get non music majors involved.
CD release concert to spotlight campus pop artists
