The University of Rhode Island’s Musicians Guild hosted Awesomest Fest on Saturday, showcasing many talents within the university.
Organized by Guild President Jace Tavares, the event took place outside the Memorial Union and featured 10 bands, all originating from the Musicians Guild. The event began at 1 p.m. and ran until 9 p.m.
The lineup of bands included Fun Gang, Where’s My Water, Van Nost, Plane Station, Boxing Club, Cattle, Late for School, Trust Fund Diva, Cognito Hazard and Opium Den.
The lineup was organized so that the heavier-sounding bands play later in the evening and the lighter-sounding bands play earlier in the day, according to Tavares. After weeks of preparation, Tavares explained the work put into organizing this event.
“Since the beginning of this semester, we try to text the bands that are playing,” Tavares said. “Then three weeks out from last Saturday, we booked it.”
Tavares performed with three of the ten bands, including Late for School, Where’s My Water and Boxing Club, in which he played both guitar and bass guitar.
Preparation also included the production of flyers for the event, completed by other members of the executive board and the Musicians Guild. Throughout the week, members of the Guild would hand out flyers to promote the event.
Attendees included members of the Musicians Guild, supportive friends of musicians and students whose curiosity was piqued while walking past the Memorial Union.
“I was walking by the Memorial Union the other day, and a girl gave me a piece of paper that said, ‘Awesomest Fest’” first-year Vlad Horvatic said. “She saw my shirt and said, ‘Well, if you like Metallica, you might want to come see this.’”
The recommendation proved thoughtful, as many of the bands performing had a heavier sound, similar to the popular heavy metal band.
Although the event was a success, it ran into a few bumps along the way. The event was originally scheduled for September 26th, but because of the nor’easter storm that weekend, Awesomest Fest was postponed to the following weekend.
As a result of the rescheduling, many members of the bands couldn’t make it to the event, and other guild members substituted for them.
However, such mishaps did not keep the Musicians Guild from putting on a successful performance.
“I thought it was the best Plane Station performance; it was fantastic,” Lucas Shapiro, lead vocalist and guitarist of Plane Station said.
The Musicians Guild looks forward to more upcoming events, including a Halloween show and the annual Rock N Swap show, in which members of the Guild are grouped by vocals or instruments and drawn at random. They are then tasked with performing a cover and an original song.
Awesomest Fest is an annual recurrence, with an elevated name each year. Two years ago, the event was titled Awesome Fest, and last year it was titled Awesomer Fest, finally landing on Awesomest Fest.
“It gets more awesome every year,” Tavares said.
