ISABELLA INZINNA
Staff Writer
The weather might be cold and windy, but that didn’t stop the Local Lo-Down from picking a beach theme for their last concert of the semester.
Nov. 11’s Beachfest was the last concert of the Fall 2023 semester hosted by The Local Lo-Down.
Many students were puzzled by the beach theme, especially considering the chilly weather, but the hosts had an interesting explanation. Jordan Budd, the A&R lead, host and executive producer, and Elena Fitzgerald, the field interview lead, suggested that the beach theme was not the original idea.
Budd said, “We wanted to do a themed show, but we just weren’t sure what to go with. We wound up booking some surf rock and surf pop bands before the theme was decided.”
Fitzgerald added, “The booking aspect really gave us the beach theme.”
The final lineup was as follows: Fruitfly, Starjuice, Beach Tower, Johnny & The Man Kids and The Burkharts.
It’s safe to say that the crowd wasn’t disappointed with the theme regardless.
The bands were very interactive with the crowd, which seemed to be a good attention grabber. The first set even had the crowd on the floor, listening to the first song like a storytime.
Aside from the bands, there were also vendors in the basement of Mainstreet Studios, where the concert took place. The basement, usually only used for bathrooms, had open doors that night. With a bit of redecorating, there were SUNY Fredonia artists selling items such as art and jewelry. Fredonia Radio Systems (FRS) was also selling CDs throughout the night.
Another fun feature of this concert was the photo booth setup. There was an ocean view with the words “The Local Lo-Down” projected onto a white sheet. Available props included beach chairs, pool noodles and a photo frame so attendees could take pictures.
One of the funniest features of the show had to be the beach balls. Two beach balls were tossed around the crowd, and many attendees got a good laugh just seeing one of the beach balls hit a performer’s head.
Aside from the crowd, the bands seemed to enjoy the beach ball. At least some of them did.
The lead singer of Johnny & The Man Kids, John Marciniak, said, “Hey guys, I don’t know if I’ll be able to but I’ll try to hit the ball back. I love this thing; it’s been so fun.”
If you don’t know, the Local Lo-Down is one of FRS’ legacy shows. The show first started up in 2013 as a showcase of artists based in Western New York. This is FRS’ only show with a video component.
If you want to learn more about the Local Lo-Down, you can visit fredoniaradio.com which also has links to the YouTube playlist.
After the Johnny & The Mankids set, The Burkharts closed out the night.
However, even with their set over, the Mankids were not done performing. The Burkharts invited the band up quite a few times to join in on certain songs.
With such positive feedback, it’s safe to say that the audience is hoping for more themed shows in the future.