On March 2, Glassboro traveled back to the ’90s with 813ntertainment for their music showcase “Party Like It’s 1999” at Landmark Americana. 

“We are grateful for Landmark for allowing us to use their space for our project and also allowing local artists to express their talents to those within the community as well,” said Emma Bellback, co-creator of 813ntertainment.

The music, decorations to use for photos, strobe lights beaming across the room and themed alcoholic drinks created a nostalgic ’90s vibe. This showcase featured live performances from artists Serina Aaliyah, Shaky By Nature, Eberechi and Gervs. 

Emma Bellback and Emily Ginsburg, music industry majors and the creators behind 813ntertainment, started the company as their senior capstone project. The company aims to help local Glassboro artists and bands with any booking, promotional and live sound services they may need.

“Within this project, the experience so far has definitely shown me it’s not as easy as it looks,” Ginsburg said. “There is a lot more to what goes on behind the scenes than what you see as just a concert goer, the process behind renting and planning and organizing a show as a whole. So doing this has definitely helped me out completely.” 

When Landmark asked the Bellback and Ginsburg why they wanted to use their space for shows, they simply responded that they wanted to bring the live music scene to the local bar scene.

“Glassboro is only known to have basement shows that’s set to only one genre — alternative music. Not saying we hate the genre, but we want to expand horizons to other genres as well,” Bellback said.

The opener was Rowan’s very own Serina Aayliah, a fourth year music industry major with a concentration in technology. 

“I started playing instruments when I was 10-11 years old, and did not get into production until late high school when I took a music production class,” Aayliah said. “When I found my current major at Rowan, I just thought to myself that this is what I really wanna pursue.”

Before Aayliah took the stage, like many artists, nerves came knocking at her door.

“As I’m sitting with myself, I would tell myself ‘Hey! You got this’ to try to keep my mind focused and ready for whatever the crowd control may be to get myself through it,” Aayliah said. 

Her affirmation worked as she performed, each song touched the hearts of those in the crowd, who sang along to a few singles. 

“I’ve been doing this for a really long time,” Aayliah said.  “It just feels right to me and feels a certain warmth and comfort when I perform.”

Next on deck was Shake by Nature, known off-stage as Kyle McCarthy, who is a music industry major with a concentration in technology.

McCarthy formed the band with his friends in high school, where he developed his songwriting skills and decided to start producing and performing his own songs.

McCarthy’s page @shakybynature features videos in which four clips of him playing a different instrument are played synchronously, lining up together to create a song. 

“At first it was about posting more and getting more exposure, but as I started to create more videos like that I grew to really like the idea of it,” McCarthy said. 

The crowd was then entranced by a performance from East Orange R&B and pop artist, Eberechi. When she was 5 years old, she was part of her local church choir. In 2019, Eberechi began trying to make her dreams a reality.

Growing up, Eberechi was heavily influenced by artists such as Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown.

“For most shows, it’s a long drive for me so during that time I would listen to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album,” Eberechi said. “Throughout the whole album, she [Beyoncé] is hyping herself up, so as I am listening to it I am transferring that same energy over to me that ‘I am strong, I am confident, and that I could do it’ as I am warming up before a performance.” 

Eberechi performed a personal walkthrough of her mind with her single “Running Low,” a song about her finally not accepting less than what she is worth.

“In my past I would always allow myself to adjust to certain situations that were not beneficial to me and would tear down my self love and worth,” Eberechi said. “This song really highlights where I’m at mentally and finally showing that self-love and gratitude to myself after so long of accepting the bare minimum.”

The night ended with a performance from Gervs, whose music has a strong focus on storytelling.

Among these songs was “Gameboy,” which Gervs explained reminds him of his childhood and  “resembles the younger days of not having a care in the world.”

Gervs also performed another single, “Innocent,” which features lyrics about his growth, vulnerability, positive love languages and wanting to be a better person to the people around him. 

The second part to this song is his single “Promise.” Dedicated to his girlfriend Amanda, this song finds him accepting the love in front of him, and never letting it go. 

You can follow 813ntertainment on their official Instagram @813ntertainment for more information on any upcoming shows and to stay updated on local artists who performed at any past shows.

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