Local acts on the quad

It feels like South Quad has never been so musical.

It started with late-night performances from musicians earlier this month at the “Sleepless for Syria” event, hosted by the Solidarity of Syria Coalition. Then early last week, student musicians took the South Quad stage with environmental undergraduate club We Are 9 to celebrate Earth Day. Finally, to top off an exceptionally-musical April, a group of local acts performed at “Concert on the Quad” last Friday, hosted by Morrissey Hall and The Bridge Project as a part of the week’s AnTostal festival.

A concert in which South Bend musicians bring their acts to Notre Dame has been fairly rare in the past, but “Concert on the Quad” was a valuable opportunity for students who usually stay close to campus to get a taste of the South Bend music scene. That connection between South Bend music and Notre Dame students, of course, is the aim of The Bridge Project, a collaborative movement started by students and South Bend residents.

Attendees of the outdoor concert were greeted with a scenic sunset and the musical style of four local acts. Opening with songwriter Nathan K., students sat and danced out on the quad to celebrate South Bend’s musical talent. The lineup included StarHeart, a folky, bluesy collaboration between musicians Jake Borowski and Jess Lucille.Following StarHeart was Dena Woods, otherwise known as Dena Dena Dena, a singer-songwriter with a hypnotizing, powerful voice and a central organizer in The Bridge Project as well as countless concerts and South Bend music events.

The night closed with Anival Fausto Band, led by singer and guitarist Anival Fausto and backed by bandmates Librado Aleman, Ryan Taylor and Vicenzo Carrasco. The band closed out the night with a set of psychedelic rock hits and, in the Notre Dame spirit, a collective cheer of the “Victory March,” led by Carrasco, a Notre Dame alumnus himself.

The concert marked an important time in the growing interest in local music on our own campus and one of the rare opportunities to hear free, local music outside our own windows. But the event was also just a small sample of upcoming South Bend music events, including South by South Bend, the city’s very own music festival happening May 8-11 this year. On-campus events and groups and the work of The Bridge Project have done a commendable job in bringing live music to students this spring, and after seeing the enthusiastic and diverse group of musicians, students and organizers, a music festival here in South Bend should be a worthwhile way to kick off the summer.