The lead singer of indie rock band Slaughter Beach, Dog, Jake Ewald, became Binghamton’s own “general purpose Bob Dylan” on Thursday night at the semester’s final Binghamton Underground Music Presents (BUMP) show. He came sporting a guitar, a harmonica and a calming aura that drew in the energetic audience.

Aidan Beigie, chairman of BUMP and a senior majoring in business administration, explained the purpose behind BUMP and the audiences he tries to reach when finding artists to perform.

“While they’re the smaller shows, we like to view them as the artists that can grow the most a few years from now,” Beigie said. “We mix it up between alternative and hip-hop because both of those genres are just killing it right now, and we end up reaching both sides of the campus.”

The size of the show certainly did contribute to the intimate feeling all around as students gathered to hear Ewald perform. The dim lighting, excited laughter all around and clear engagement with the performance before it had even begun is a testament to BUMP’s reach on campus. The Binghamton University Union Undergrounds were filled with students chatting with friends and walking around to find a comfortable spot. The small room and colorful lighting of blues and purples set an intimate feeling that remained throughout the performance.

Sydney Ferrara, president of the SAPB and a senior majoring in anthropology, discussed the attendance for the show and how BUMP impacts student life in BU.

“We actually have the highest attendance for this show then we have had for any other BUMP show,” Ferrara said. “BUMP shows are really unique in that they’re really intimate. The fact that we invite such niche artists sometimes brings in a really niche and creative crowd.”

The whole crowd was engaged and enjoying the music, swaying with each stroke of the guitar and laughing with Ewald as he joked and prepared for each song. The small crowd gathered around the stage in the Union Undergrounds and listened intently to each song. There was a living energy in the room that emerged from the excitement before the performance began, continued throughout the set of popular Slaughter Beach, Dog and Modern Baseball songs and remained long after the music had finished playing.

After the concert, Ewald discussed his own experience performing in such an intimate crowd. Slaughter Beach, Dog has just completed a North American tour and his performance at Binghamton was a calm and easygoing end to such a production.

“It’s easier to stay engaged with a smaller group of people that are right in front of your face,” Ewald explained. “You stay connected. You can just be a human being, and that is enough. You don’t have to be larger than life.”

The Undergrounds are a perfect space for such an intimate gathering. The music of Slaughter Beach, Dog emphasizes the rawness of acoustic guitar and emotion in each lyric. The concert enhanced these aspects of their songs, highlighting the way music draws people together.

This concert brought a bittersweet moment, as it was the last BUMP show of the semester. It brought attention to student opinions on what artists should come to BU, and its success ignites excitement for BUMP shows in the coming semesters. Ewald’s performance and the large student engagement created a wonderful space for artistic expression and enjoyment.