CPB brings the Coast to UIndy
By Sami Shelton
News Editor
Bands Envy on the Coast and Red Letter Reason rocked Ransburg Auditorium on Nov. 14 in a free concert presented by Campus Program Board at the University of Indianapolis.
According to CPB Live Performance Chair Jenna Tucker, students were given a unique opportunity to see an up-and-coming band.
“Envy on the Coast isn’t well-known, but they will be,” Tucker said. “We’re giving the students an opportunity to see them before they will have to pay to get a ticket.”
Envy on the Coast, formed in 2006 in Long Island, N.Y., is an alternative rock band that has performed with various acts such as 30 Seconds to Mars, Cute Is What We Aim For and My Chemical Romance. They also have been featured in MTV’s $2 Bill Tour, the Alternative Press Tour, Bamboozle and this past summer’s Warped Tour.
According to the Envy on the Coast Web site (www.envyonthecoast.com), the band was named to the Alternative Press’ 100 Bands You Need to Know in 2007 list and has won a finalist position in Spin.com’s Band of the Year contest.
The band is comprised of vocalist Ryan Hunter, guitarists Brian Bryne and Sal Bossio, bassist Jeremy Velardi and drummer Dan Gluszak.
“The band is all college aged, and they are really into their fans,” Tucker said. “I saw them at Warped Tour, and they always took the time to talk with them [the fans].”
According to Tucker, there was a chance the band would cancel their performance at UIndy. Lead vocalist Hunter was diagnosed with a case of acid reflux combined with a polyp and a burst blood vessel on his vocal cords, according to the Web site.
The band was forced to cancel its performances, including several college shows. Hunter was forced to stop performing before the show’s end, due to, what he called, “an exploding in his throat.”
UIndy is currently the only college show on the band’s tour list, and was the first performance since the cancellations.
Local band Red Letter Reason opened the concert. According to the band’s MySpace.com profile, the group was created in 2005 and plans on releasing its first full-length album in 2008.
The group consists of vocalist Derrick Royer, guitarists Dylan Morris and Josh Kincheloe and drummer Ben Scott.
According to CPB Vice President Joanna Huff, students will enjoy more concerts and performances as the year continues.
“The students want more concerts, and I think Jenna [Tucker] is trying to take that into account,” Huff said. “She’s very knowledgeable about music, so I think students are going to get a great variety of shows on campus.”
CPB’s next live performance shows are scheduled during Winter Welcome Back Week on Jan. 14-18. Comedic magician Derrek Hughes and the Show Off Show will headline the event.
“There are going to be a lot of different acts…things students are not going to expect,” Huff said.
