entertainment article

Like moths drawn to a flame, students are drawn to music. And students flew to the stage when InfraBlue burned up the MarketPlace patio as the opening band of Friday’s Local Music Festival.

Last Friday, eight area bands rocked UW-Oshkosh for the first-ever Local Music Festival.Local bands and solo artists, InfraBlue, Across the Rubicon, John Statz, Urizen, Silent Point, Juiceboxxx, The Response, and Paris Texas performed for a crowd of hundreds on Market Place Patio stage.

"We tried to find bands that had a sound that would draw but sounded different from each other," said Nick Gumm, member of the music fest committee that organized the event. "Infra Blue has a unique style and lso put them on the bill first because they have a pretty good following here."

For more than six hours students enjoyed a large variety of music ranging from John Statz’s soft acoustic numbers to Juiceboxxx performing his set of old-school style rap songs.

The weather at the event was a key component in making it function well.
Students had a chance to sit on the green grass, eat lunch, and enjoy the warm sunshine as temperature reached the mid-60s.

"I think that this event is just great," said Meghan Hottman, a freshman at UW-Oshkosh. "Not only is the weather awesome but this event is free and it’s interesting to hear such different types of music all on the same stage."

As day progressed into night, the colored lights shining on the stage gave the audience a more intimate feel to the concerts. Students stood in packs near the stage to enjoy rockers,The Response, and headliners, Paris Texas."

Paris Texas is so unbelievably high energy."" said Liz Sache, music and entertainment chairwoman for R.U.B. "I’ve seen them play before and I was so excited to hear them again."

Gumm said that he thought the concert turned out better than he expected.

“I thought the turnout was really great, I was surprised to be honest,” Gumm said. “There a huge attendance for Juiceboxx and it did taper off at the end but altogether it went really well.”

The next R.U.B. event will be a variety show this Thursday at the Titan Underground. The event runs from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. and there is an admission fee.