Singer/songwriter Mason Jennings won’t be “Going back to New Orleans” Friday, April 20, he’ll be playing a concert on campus in the Woulfe Alumni Hall.
KUST Campus Radio announced Monday that Minnesota natives Haley Bonar and Jennings are scheduled to perform at 8 p.m., and KUST station manager Stefan Wolf said he hopes it will attract a wide variety of St. Thomas students.
“They have an accessible style; it’s a nice mid-point. Obviously it’s not hip-hop, but it’s also not like gutter punk or metal or anything like that,” Wolf said. “It’s something you could go listen to in a coffee shop where a bunch of people are sitting around.”
The concert is free for St. Thomas students, made possible by funding from the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) St. Thomas Activities and Recreation (STAR) and the St. Thomas Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA). There will also be 100 $5 guest tickets available.
Wolf said logistics are an important part of planning the concert, and it made sense to ask local artists to perform.
“It’s easier to get local artists because they’re usually around here more often, and it’s less expensive… but we also have so many great local artists and local bands around here that there’s no reason not to get a local artist,” he said.
The concert, which will be held on Earth Day, will generate guest ticket revenue to donate to the UST Campus Sustainability Fund.
Wolf said that he thinks this year’s artists will draw an even larger crowd than the 350 students at last year’s show.
“I think Mason Jennings has more name recognition with the general UST student body than Cloud Cult (did),” he said.
However, for some students who haven’t heard of this year’s artists, the concert doesn’t sound like something worth attending.
Junior Lisa Hager said she has never heard of Mason Jennings or Haley Bonar.
“I mean I’m a music major, I like music… but it doesn’t sound like something I’m into,” Hager said.
Other students, like senior Ian Ormseth, are familiar with the artists and are looking forward to the concert.
“I like Mason Jennings a lot. It’s one of the first concerts I’ve actually been excited to go to since I’ve been here,” Ormseth said.
Despite mixed reviews from students, Wolf thinks the concert will be a success.
“Everybody should come to the show. It’s gonna be fun,” he said.
Heidi Enninga can be reached at enni5264@stthomas.edu.
KUST always brings quality acts to campus. I’m really looking forward to this one!
Once again, KUST outdoes USG and STAR by bringing quality concerts to campus, and it does so on a much, much more limited budget. Great to see that campus group thriving.
However, the lede in this story is something else. We’re really doing puns now?
That lede literally made me cringe.
Stoked for the concert, though.
What’s up with everyone sipping the haterade on the site lately? People need to chill out. The lede was creative; it’s a lot more fun than a lot of the other ledes TM posts.
Bianca, all you ever do is write negative posts, and I honestly feel bad for you. The lede plays off of one of his most famous songs— obviously you’re not a Mason Jennings fan. You don’t appreciate creativity because you live in a world where dark rain clouds follow you around all day.
Pretty much.
BAH HUMBUG.
I pretty much troll everywhere I roam on the Internet. MY BAD. But really, this concert will be great. Thanks for the story, Heidi.