The University of Rhode Island welcomed four bands on Friday at 6 p.m. for the first Musicians Guild show of the semester in the Memorial Union.
URI-based groups Cascade and Marble House opened up the show in Atrium 2 to provide fans with an energetic start for the evening. Showgirl and Cat Crash, both from Connecticut, rounded out the night.
“[That was] very energetic,” second-year Liz O’Connor said. “Showgirl’s set in particular flowed very well. They had a lot of passion and good showmanship.”
The night was also a first for one band. Cascade, made up of URI students third-year Maddi Stover, third-year Ava Orabona, second-year Saketh Gosetty, second-year Skyler Bobinski, second-year Joel Hatery and third-year Peter LeBeau, performed their first ever live set after forming last spring, according to LeBeau, their bassist. LeBeau felt confident after completing their first of what they hope to be many shows.
“What I’ve heard people saying is that they’re gonna make a new calendar,” LeBeau said. “‘BC’ and ‘AC’ – before Cascade and after Cascade.”
Marble House, an alternative indie band featuring URI alum and students, was without their regular drummer Leah Popovic ’24. Jacob Siegel filled in and contributed to a drumstick-breaking performance. Their set included a cover of “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan.
“The Guild show on Friday was so much fun, thank you to everyone who came out and thank you to the Guild for letting us play this one,” Marble House said on their Instagram.
Showgirl, a pop, emo-core band, featured Will Walsh on bass, David Sheppard on guitar, Chelsea Vaughn on vocals and Declan Zawrortny on drums. The band was eager to play its latest release after the Musicians Guild reached out via Instagram, according to Vaughn.
“We just released ‘l’amoureux,’” Vaughn said. “We’ve got three more songs to release, then the plan is a five-song EP.”
Alongside “l’amoureux,” Showgirl played their 2024 single “ad hominem” during the concert. Both are available on most streaming platforms.
Closing out the set was indie punk band Cat Crash, who has just under 10,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Cat Crash is composed of Cecil Yang on vocals and bass, Briar Chung on drums and Brett Cornball on guitar. The band played a set combining its most streamed tracks, unreleased music and a cover of “Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Cat Crash encouraged moshing to its fullest extent, with Yang going into the pit themself. They were a driving force behind crowd engagement during their song “Connecticut,” initiating a call-and-response of the song’s chorus: “Growing up in the suburbs, there’s nowhere for you to scream.”
One unreleased song performed was “Ugly Duckling,” which will be available on most streaming services Friday, according to Yang.
The Musicians Guild presents concerts and other events each semester, including a battle of the bands in March. More information can be found on their Instagram @urimusiciansguild.
Cascade is: Maddi Stover on vocals, Ava Orabona on saxophone, Joel Hatery and Saketh Gosetty on guitar, Skyler Bobinski on drums and Peter LeBeau on bass.
Showgirl is: Will Walsh on bass, David Sheppard on guitar, Chelsea Vaughn on vocals, Declan Zawrotny on drums.
Marble House is: Gwen Kavanaugh on vocals, Abby Orlando on keys, Aidan Sullivan on guitar, Vic Paulino on bass and Leah Popovic and Jacob Siegel on drums.
Cat Crash is: Cecil Yang on vocals and bass, Briar Chung on drums and Brett Cornball on guitar.
