The opening act was Pretty & Nice, and although they weren't my favorite (partially because of a way-too-loud bass guitar), they had a great energy and played a fun set.
The first headliner was Wakey!Wakey!, a piano-based band whose music I had little experience with, but ended up really enjoying! The lead singer/pianist, Mike Grubbs, had a really great stage presence and captivated the audience with little anecdotes between songs. You could tell he just loved being on stage with his keyboard, and his happy-go-lucky demeanor was extremely contagious. He calmly laughed off his (alcohol-induced?) error in the lyrics of one song, and really just put on a fun show for all! Oh, and did I mention that their band also features an electric violin? That was a definite highlight of their set.
The final band, which is the one that we came specifically to see, was Jukebox The Ghost. I first head of this Washington D.C.- based piano-pop trio from a friend this past winter, and I fell in love with their songs. Even on their recorded albums, they have this infectious energy, and hearing just a few notes of any of their piano lines is enough to make me smile. Thus, I was extremely excited to see them live, and let me tell, you- they did not disappoint. Everyone in the audience seemed to know all of the lyrics, and the dance-party that ensued was somewhat magical. Most of the songs they played were from their two released albums, but they also threw in two new songs (a real treat!) from their upcoming album (scheduled for recording this summer). Following their self-described "terrible habit of singing terrible covers," they also sang Hewey Lewis and the News' "The Power of Love." All-too-soon, the concert was over, and it was time to march back across the city on aching feet and legs.
We caught the 1:16AM train from Penn, and when my head finally hit my pillow at 4:15AM, the adrenaline was still rushing through my veins. It's a good thing, too, because the energy from that evening was enough to power me up at 8:00AM, when I awoke to make the final preparations on the Stony Brook Equestrian Team's boat for the annual Roth Pond Regatta. If you've never heard of it (which is likely if you don't know anyone who went to Stony Brook University between 1986 and now), it is an annual boat race across a 200-yard pond in one of the residence quads. The catch? All of the boats must be homemade out of cardboard, duct tape, rope, and paint, and nothing else.
It's a favorite springtime tradition here at Stony, partially because it is one of the few events on a campus of tens of thousands of students that is able to give us a sense of community. This year's theme was superheroes and supervillains, so naturally, the Equestrian Team decided to make Aquaman on his trusty Seahorse, Admiral. Standing at more than 8 feet tall, we weren't expecting much in the speed department, striving instead for a chance at the must coveted "Best in Show" award against the defending champs- the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), who won last year with their giant Wall-E boat.
Ready to load!
Although we had some mishaps as far as boarding our boat went (in other words, I ended up swimming across the pond while pulling the boat behind me), we ended up second-best in show to the Toscanini Hall Council, whose Spiderman design was definitely deserving of the title.
During the race (I'm the one in the red life jacket in the water)
SHPE's boat this year was a batmobile that actually ejected a bat-motorcycle-boat halfway through the race, like in the current franchise. They were the winners of the "Kick it in the Back Seat" Award, a Rebecca Black-inspired award whose credentials I am unsure of. All in all, it was a fun day, and next year, I'm hoping that we can clinch the title of Best In Show (and maybe even win a race!).
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