Spring Break
Festival encourages artistic expression
Alyssa Carroll
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Focus
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Though the event, which began at 6 p.m., started off slowly with a crowd of only about 25, the performances of numerous campus musicians drew in an eventual audience of about 50.
Only in its second official semester, ULAC encouraged all students, not just those in the Liberal Arts, to get involved in creative outlets and cultural events they may not otherwise have time for.
"We formed this club because there was no space for artistic, creative and intellectual discourse," said D. Michael Jones, a Ph.D. candidate in English and faculty advisor to ULAC. "We want to turn that around. This kind of stuff should be going on on campus all the time."
Featuring four bands and a booth by tuneRooms.com, the event held a steady crowd and pleasant atmosphere.
The event opened with a performance by Ali Telmesani, a 5th-semester English major, who played acoustic guitar and harmonica while singing his original songs to an enthusiastic, small crowd seated around him on the floor.
"This is the coolest setting ever," said Telmesani. "I never want to play on a stage again - I just want to sit in a circle and play music."
Chad Denton, a 5th-semester English major and ULAC member, read numerous poems throughout the evening.
"Mike Jones was my English professor, and he got a bunch of us to come check the club out," said Denton. "I go to the trips, meetings and we have parties every once and a while, and we have a hell of a film series."
Adam Eisler, a 5th-semester History major, was the second act of the night, playing original songs folk inspired songs and a John Frusciante cover. Eisler, who was recently contacted by publishing and recording company Hot Air Press, encouraged students to check out his music at Myspace.com/abrahamking.
"I'm very much inspired by folk - four chords and a story," said Eisler. "This was an awesome event. They need to do this more in the future."
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