Binghamton University students can look forward to seeing some of their own team on stage with a national name later this month, as campus band Soundhouse has been chosen to open for Lupe Fiasco.
Vice President of Programming for the Student Association Aaron Butler confirmed to Pipe Dream yesterday that Soundhouse would be the opening act for the Oct. 12 show. He said he and other concert organizers decided on Soundhouse, which is headed by campus “celebrity” Jesse Nathaniel Reed, because the group is a great entertaining act.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to further themselves in the music industry,” Butler said. “It’s good to give back to the students.”
Butler said the Programming Board had a lot of student input for the decision, including several e-mails from kids requesting the band, and referenced a Facebook group with more than 250 members dedicated to securing the band as headliner.
“I’m very excited, the week of campus wars is going to be extremely busy and extremely fun,” he said, citing the concert, the Great Porn Debate and alumni visits. “It’s going to be a wonderful, wonderful week full of lots of activity.”
Soundhouse, which performs “soul and funk music with a blend of jazz and hip-hop,” Mr. Reed said, has opened for Motion City Soundtrack and Reel Big Fish, and walked away as first place winners in last spring’s Battle of the Bands on campus. The competition featured six bands out of 30 hopefuls in the actual competition.
“We’ve earned our bones,” Mr. Reed said. “We’re really very humble because it’s a great opportunity.”
The band, which is looking to eventually go into the music industry full-time, has completed a demo CD, writes their own music and is in the midst of organizing a tour for the end of the academic year. During the tour, Soundhouse will hit New York City, some upstate venues and hopefully gigs outside the state, Mr. Reed said.
“At the end of the day, we’re BU homegrown and we want the University, alumni and students to push us all the way to the top,” he said.
Although the SA had not yet made an official announcement to the student body, Butler said he expected positive feedback based on the input he got from students beforehand.
“I’m sure once everyone knows, we’ll get a lot of student response,” Butler said.
Mr. Reed said he and bandmates are hoping for a big student backing during the performance.
“On the day of the show we’re hoping for a deep and sincere response of support,” Mr. Reed added.
The concert will be held in the West Gym at 8 p.m. Tickets, 1,500 of which were set aside for students while 1,700 were designated for the general public, went on sale Friday, Sept. 19 at a price of $20 for students. A little over 1,000 student tickets were sold, according to Butler, and the remaining tickets can still be purchased at the SA Box Office in the New University Union.
General public tickets went on sale through Ticketmaster at the end of last month and are $30 each.