Frest Fest Moshes Into Grace Hall

Shane Evans

Music blared out of amplifiers situated on both sides of the two-tier stage that filled the entrance to the south side of the Grace Hall Atrium. Stale smoke and bitter cold wind swept through the concert venue as fans streamed into the doors to be stamped on the hand with a smiley face and pay the cover.

Once the fans of the bands Epilepsy, On the 8th Day, Altrucide, Dirty Larry, Ritter and Arcas to Ursa got inside, they crowded around the merchandise tables; monitors, drum sets, amplifiers, band members and their crew congested the hallway behind the stage preparing to execute Fresh Fest 2005 sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA).

Marty Shea, freshman English and communication major and member of the band Altrucide, was the driving force in getting Fresh Fest 2005 to happen at Cabrini College. Shea was striving to “do something different” for the freshman SGA fundraiser.

Fans and Cabrini students alike anxiously waited for the bands to get situated and for the show to begin. Fresh Fest was the first show of its nature to happen on Cabrini’s campus. Shea said, “It’s not that we brought everyone’s hobby, we brought everyone’s life.”

When finished with last minute monitor and microphone checks, Conor McLaughlin, vocals and guitar, Dave Erhlich a senior English and communication major, and bassist behind the metal/experimental band Epilepsy took the stage as the first set for Fresh Fest 2005.

Lights began to dim and the fans welcomed them with earsplitting applause as the rifts to “Dead World Walking” began to play after the band’s introduction, which tore through the Grace Hall Atrium. This was Epilepsy’s second show, their first being at Eugene’s bar in South Jersey. The merchandise table for Epilepsy was sold out by the end of the concert, which included homemade t-shirts featuring a thumbs down logo and the band’s name scrawled about it.

“Epilepsy’s music can best be described as Depeche Mode and Napalm Death in a blender,” Erhlich.

Another band to grace the stage was Cabrini College’s own Altrucide. Dave Spina, a junior English and communication major, provides lead vocals for the band; Shea is the bassist for the group, Paul Nasella, a sophomore English and communication major, is the drummer; Jeff Foley a junior business major, is the guitarist and Dave Capece, another guitarist, is a junior graphic design major. Spina said, “I give credit where credit is due and it goes out to all the kids that showed up on Thursday.” The set list for Altrucide included the song “Part of Me,” which showcased their heavy lyrics and crushing metal sounds.

“Slamtastic is the only way I can describe the concert on Thursday night,” Wayne McDowell, junior English and communication major, said.

As Altrucide finished their set, Arcas to Ursa took the stage. Their hardcore sound and explosive lyrics filled the Grace Hall Atrium as Mike Rossi on vocals and synthesizer, Jonathan Lyons on drums, RJ the bassist, Trevor Martin on vocals, guitar and keyboard and Joe Punzi on guitar and vocals kept the crowd going into the evening.

As the concert continued on, Dirty Larry took the stage with their Jersey ska punk sound that brought more energy to crowd. The six band mates, including front man Josh LaPergola, singer/guitarist and trombone player Matt Vernon, bassist Tim Lappin, drummer Steve Mills, trombone player Bob Gordon and alto saxophone player Brian Gannon sang such hits as “The Long Way Home” and “Disorderly Conduct.” Dirty Larry’s singles have reached airplay on Philadelphia’s radio stations Y-100 and 94.1 WYSP FM.

“They were all really good local bands and it was great to see students that go here that play in those bands. It’s an event that we’ve never had at Cabrini before and it went well,” junior political science major, Amanda Popovitch, said.

The crowd in the Grace Hall Atrium still stayed strong as Ritter began to set up for their set. Fans of the six bands revisited the merchandise tables to sign up for the mailing lists that some of the bands had to offer. The Allentown, Pa. based rock/punk band Ritter hit the stage with a plethora of songs, one of which was, “February.” The band is fronted by Justin Fowler on guitar, Andrew Rehrig on vocals and guitar, Joey DeRugerils on bass and TJ Dockray, the former drummer of Overdrives. Hailing from Springfield and West Chester, Pa. On The 8th Day stormed the stage with a powerhouse of metal and rock melodies. The band played some of their demos such as “Into the Ashes” and “Until I Wake.” On The 8th Day is working on a new website and upcoming shows will be announced soon. Their performance made a lasting impression on old and new fans alike.

After all the bands’ sets and the moshing and music died down to numb, dull ringing in everyone’s ears, freshman Brittany Brosius, an English and communication major, had this to say, “I personally liked the different genres of music coming together for one concert.”

A fan of Epilepsy and Altrucide gathered up her belongings before she said goodnight to her friends, “I enjoyed Fresh Fest, it was a different type of event here at Cabrini. The bands were very good and I hope Cabrini has more events like this one in the future,” Jaci Fox, senior history and political science major, said. The whole night was a success and proved that the presence of metal still exists on Cabrini’s campus.

Posted to the web by Shane Evans