Students strumming away in dorm rooms are pretty common sights at universities and colleges across Canada but a group of Quest University students is taking casual campus jamming to the next level by hosting a CD release party at the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG) on Saturday (March 21).
About a dozen musically-inclined students will take turns sharing the stage to perform 14 tracks produced and recorded by freshman and multi-instrumentalist Evan Captain. The recording process was a great way to bond with fellow students, said Captain, and hopefully the CD will help advance the arts at the university.
"The school really concentrates on studying the environment and building sports but music has mainly been left out," he said, adding that the school's first student body has an opportunity to make a big impact.
"Everybody is pretty stoked about [the CD release party] because everyone that goes to this university wants to get something going. That's one of the reasons I started going here, because it's so new you get to mould it."
The album is predominantly acoustic folk but blends into other genres like punk and rock and roll. The students didn't start recording with the intention of selling the album but when it all came together it was hard to resist sharing with the community. Quest's Student Representative Council (SRC) fronted $1,000 so the group could copy 1,000 CDs, which will be sold at $10 a pop. Profits will go back to the SRC to support future arts projects, said album contributor and SRC president Caleb Tomlinson.
Tomlinson said he foresees a small spring outdoor music festival being one of the events coming to campus.
Hosting residents at Quest is great but holding the CD release party at the BAG gives the students a rare chance to bring their music directly to the community, said Captain.
The live show is open to all ages and starts at 8 p.m. Admission is free.
Meanwhile, the international flavour of Vancouver's The Paperboys kicks off the weekend at the BAG tonight (March 20). The Paperboys' multicultural vibe mixes Celtic, Latin, roots, soul and folk to keep the audience on its feet.
The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are available for $20 at the BAG and The Bookshelf.
