Indie music echoed off the walls of the Lawrence Hall Ballroom as “The Adventures of Bess Rogers and Allison Weiss” came to a close on Friday, Nov. 9.”I think we’ve been having too much fun,” Rogers said of the tour, laughing with Weiss and band mates Stephanie Barker and Joshua Ingram.Rogers performed at Point Park University last year at a Campus Activities Board (CAB) sponsored event. She enjoyed her time here so much that she asked to come back for another concert, and the Sport, Arts and Entertainment Management (SAEM) Club was more than happy to promote the event.”Something like this doesn’t happen often,” Shea Smith, SAEM Club vice president, said during the sound check in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom on Wednesday.Smith explained that most of the club members enjoy Rogers’ music and could not wait to bring her back.Since the concert fit the club’s budget, they were able to book four opening acts: Eric Lutz, The Ansaris, Hunter Paulson and Bailey Park.Club members suggested these acts, all from Point Park with the exception of The Ansaris, hoping to bring in a larger audience. than the 30 that attended last year.That hope was fulfilled beyond expectation as 50 studenta and parents attended.David Wilson, a member of the SAEM Club and Bailey Park, booked Rogers after she gave him a available date from her tour schedule. Smith found a space and proper equipment for the concert.The free concert began at 5:45 p.m. with Lutz’s acoustic set. The next band to play was The Ansaris, from Burgettstown, Pa.Before the concert, singer Ryann Bartoletti was eager to talk about her band.”[Performing] is rewarding,” she said during the sound check.The Ansaris formed two years ago when Bartoletti met Carter Dean and they began playing together.”We became best friends,” Bartoletti said.Although Bartoletti describes her band as a “camp fire band,” they started playing shows as a favor to a friend. Now, they perform at local venues near their hometown, in Weirton and on the South Side.”Carter has a creative mind,” Bartoletti said.She said he alters his personal experiences, translating them into lyrics.”[They’re] twisted love stories,” she said of the EP album The Ansaris is working on.The band performed a mixture of original songs and covers, Dean on guitar and Bartoletti singing and playing tambourine and ukulele.The next act was freshman creative writing major Hunter Paulson. The Lancaster native has been performing intermittently for seven years, but Wednesday was his first Pittsburgh performance in front of his Point Park friends.Although he was nervous performing in a new area, Paulson said he goes into another world on stage.”[Performing] is like another level of existence for me,” he said.Paulson describes his music as “psychedelic folk” and writes about his everyday life.”Living in the city inspires me,” he said over the bass.Paulson played “stripped down” versions of his recordings, moving to the music coming from his guitar.”[Tonight], it’s just my guitar and I,” he said of his set for the evening.Next up was Bailey Park, consisting of David Wilson on guitar and vocals and Michael Cunningham on guitar and background vocals, a harmonizing acoustic group.They played original songs, broken up by a rendition of The Beatles’ “All My Loving.”After their last song, they received applause from the audience, and left them to anticipate Bess Rogers’ performance.Rogers came out with Weiss and the band. She played her set first with the full band, and talked to the audience in between songs, making sure to thank them for coming.Rogers, the Brooklyn native has been touring professionally for about seven years, but she has been playing music since she was 5-years-old.”It’s what I always wanted to do,” Rogers said before the show.According to Rogers, her parents were very involved with music, sparking her love for music. She played the flute and harpsichord when she was younger, but started playing guitar at 13.Rogers writes her music based on a variety of life experiences. During the concert, she explained what inspired her song “Favorite Day,” an intimate song about her former boyfriend, who is now her husband.She studied music composition at State University of New York Purchase and recorded her first three albums there.While touring with Ingrid Michaelson, Rogers played at Madison Square Garden.
SAEM Club hosts acoustic acts
Written By Emily Bastaroli
June 29, 2016
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