On Thursday, Nov. 29, Quinnipiac’s student-run radio station WQAQ sponsored “Music for Meals” at The Space in Hamden. Great Caesar and the Go Getters opened up and closing the concert was Patent Pending. This show could not have attained a better environment than The Space.
Walking in The Space for the first time, one gets the impression of a friend’s basement: couches to sit on, decorative Christmas lights, records and a grandfather clock. The bands that played were a mixture of different types of rock: soft rock, hard rock, and punk.
Great Caesar opened up, catching the audience’s attention with their first song, “Tango.” The song opened up with a reminiscent simple tango tune by the trumpet and the saxophone, quickly making its way towards the guitars, bass and drum. The rest of the songs followed the pattern of the first, beginning with a jazzy-blues, cabaret-type feel, resulting in a punk-rock ska setting.
Quinnipiac student Mike Farrell, from Great Caesar and the Go Getters explained that the band started out as a jazz trio, but when they added the guitars and bass, they did not know how to mix jazz and rock, which made them fall into a ska state. The second band to perform did not follow the hype and the energy that Great Caesar and the Go Getters set.
AC 147 was a southern rock band that played simple guitar riffs, featuring a voice that sounded more like shouting than singing, and uncreative lyrics. Their second song was a mix of solos that did not match up with each other, and the keyboardist doing his own thing.
The third band to play was called Ivy Drive, sounding similar to Chevelle, the singer stood stationary with his acoustic guitar keeping his eyes on the audience who were also lost in their music. Their new album, “One Day This Will All Come Back to You,” will be released this January.
Last but definitely not least was Patent Pending. Patent Pending is a friend-oriented band who will agree to play wherever.
The songs they played were a mixture of new songs and classics such as “Cheer Up Emo Kid,” which was definitely the crowd-pleaser of the night. In the midst of playing, the guitarist Joe’s guitar amp broke but instead of panicking, Joe got the crowd involved as he headed a conga line.
Overall, WQAQ’s event was a place for friends to come together to rock, dance and raise money for a great cause.
