On Oct. 19, students in the Touring and Concert Promotion class organized “Holly-ween,” which took place at Prof’s Place inside the Student Center. It was a night filled with music, costumes, food, and a chance at winning some prizes, like a $50 LaScala’s Fire and a $75 PJ Whelihan’s gift card.

There was an impressive turnout, thanks to promotional effort by students like Rob Puglisi and James Barnes. They send their thanks to professor Frank Cervantes, who helped them book the location.

It was up to the students to put their vision to fruition though. Puglisi and Barnes mentioned that to get it going, they divided up their class into 4 different groups: marketing, production, booking, and merchandise. The bookers were able to get some fan favorites, like Spud Mack, Earth on Fire, and The Jettys.

These bands are mostly known for their performances at the basement venues held around the university. There can be a vast difference in intensity between these two types of venues.

“I would definitely say it’s a lot tamer than a lot of off-campus shows,” Barnes said, pointing to the fact that it is a school-sanctioned event, so things would have to be more mellow.

It ultimately wouldn’t matter, as the bands brought the same forcefulness to the stage as if it was just another basement show. Particularly Earth on Fire, which was the high point of the night. The emo/math rock band lit the stage on fire with their high-energy playing and impressive connection to the audience. They had the crowd moshing and Spud Mack bassist Carley Hulse crowd surfing. Lead guitarist and vocalist Eddie Masterson jumped down to the crowd and played alongside them.

Spud Mack went up after them and kept the excitement going. They also had great interactions with the crowds, encouraging them to move up and talk to the band.

Guitarist Brad Mackenzie was surprised by the turnout and response given from the audience.

“The crowd tonight was surprisingly pretty hype and stuff. It was good energy. This time it was actually a pleasant surprise, and it was a good time to play.”

The band continued on by saluting the school for their willingness to feature these types of bands.

“It’s honestly really cool to have our school support the underground basement show scene and the smaller artists because I don’t think a lot of schools would recognize or promote it,” said Carley Hulse. 

After the sets wrapped up, the costume contest started. Students showed up with some great ones like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, Garfield, and Finn from Adventure Time. In the end, the runner-up would be freshman Rose Smith as a biblical angel, with the winner being freshman Jordan Flan as a beast from Over the Garden Wall.

Jordan Flan went home a winner in 2 ways, emphasizing the event as a great time.

“I was a big fan, I love music. I’ve always been a big fan of music and I’m a big fan of Halloween. So, it was a good mix.” Runner-up Rose Smith came away with the same sentiment.

“I thought it was just phenomenal. It’s so fun, I love coming to these kinds of events.”

The night had been a success, with good food, great music, and creative costumes. It would be wonderful to see more events like this, and let the university shine a light on the ever-growing music scene here at Rowan.

Follow @856touring on Instagram to keep up to date on the latest shows happening around Rowan. 

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