On Saturday, Feb. 22, WHCL and Sadove Late Night will host its first concert of the year in the Annex. The concert will feature indie band Melt, and student band Uptown Booty will open the show. Doors will open at 8:30 p.m., Uptown Booty will perform at 8:45 p.m., and Melt will perform at 9:30 p.m. The event is open to off-campus guests.
Melt is an indie band whose music blends funk, R&B and rock. The band consists of seven members: Veronica Stewart-Frommer on vocals, Eric Dickstein on keys and vocals, Marlo Shankweiler on guitar, Lucas Saur on bass, Nick Sare on saxophone, Aaron Alcouloumre on trumpet and Josh Greenzeig on drums. Melt’s most well-known song may be “Sour Candy,” which hit the #5 spot on Spotify’s U.S. Viral 50 chart and has approximately three million Spotify listens. Other notable Melt songs include “Inside,” “Oh Brother,” and their newest single “Stupid in Love.”
Graham Paull ’20, WHCL Events Coordinator, said that when the WHCL E-Board was considering bands, WHCL Senior Advisor Alex Fergusson ’20 proposed Melt.
“[Fergusson] was in a band junior year that covered a Melt song and suggested them. We had a vote on the bands that could have worked out and Melt proved victorious,” said Paull.
Uptown Booty is a student band that “plays funk-ified, soul-saturated, jazz-infused covers of popular songs” according to Julian Snyder ’22, Uptown Booty’s bassist.
“[However], my official title is Chief Groove Officer. In my role, I am responsible for facilitating booty-shaking activities,” said Snyder.
After discovering his love for music when he was 10 years old, Snyder played in dozens of bands. These experiences influenced his desire to join a band when he got to Hamilton.
“When I came to Hamilton College as a first-year, the Hamilton housing authority paired me with my roommate Ben, a phenomenally funky drummer. So when I heard about a funk group that was holding auditions, both of us sprang on the opportunity. We auditioned together our second week on campus, and have been playing together ever since,” said Snyder.
In addition to Snyder, there are four other band members. “Anthony Reyes ’20 plays the keys, and acts as the bandleader. He pushes us to try new harmonies and grooves in our arrangements, and always has spontaneous ideas for other players to try. Chris Victor ’21 graces the world with his angelic voice and gives our music structure. Without him, we would jam out each song until half the crowd left. Andrew Little ’22 plays rhythm guitar and adds spice to our sound. Ben Grummon ’22 just lays it down on the drums and keeps the train chugging. If our music were an Irish stew, Ben’s drumming is the meat and potatoes, my bass is the beef stock, Anthony’s keys are the carrots, Andrew’s guitar is a tasteful dash of oregano, and Chris’ voice is the fire underneath it all,” said Snyder.
Paull said that Uptown Booty felt like a natural choice to open because their sound lined up the best with Melt. Snyder thinks this opportunity is really special because this will be his first time in Uptown Booty opening for a professional band.
“Every show we have played was alongside other Hamilton bands, which are pretty low-stress gigs. We will have to step up our game for this show,” said Snyder.
Both the WHCL board members and the two bands put a lot of work into planning and preparing for the event. As the WHCL Events Coordinator, Paull has been the point person in terms of coordinating the concert. His responsibilities have included reserving the event space, working with AV, preparing amenities for the bands the day of the concert, writing and editing the event’s promotion video, and coordinating outreach, price negotiations, and paperwork with the bands.
In addition to Paull’s work, WHCL Publicity Director Mariam Saeid ’23 is in charge of advertising and posters, WHCL Assistant Publication Editor Fran Cannon ’23 shot the promotion video, WHCL Assistant Music Director Duncan Davies ’21 is coordinating lighting, and the whole WHCL board has provided feedback and extra assistance.
Uptown Booty has spent the past month preparing for the concert. The band has been lugging heavy equipment to and from practice rooms on weekday nights, rehearsing material to make their performance tighter.
“We have learned a few new songs to keep our setlist fresh as well as rehearsing our old material. With every song we play, we try to change the groove of the original arrangement to make it our own, since the audience is usually already familiar with the song,” said Snyder.
Paull is excited to meet the artists, watch the performance, and help create the stage.
“I’m really excited to see Melt because I feel like they are really close to blowing up in the Indie scene. It’s always really great getting to meet the bands because they are so passionate about music and generally super nice. This is also our first show with improved lighting, which should add a whole new level to the experience. Davies is helping out with a new set up that will blow the boring old yellow lights out of the water,” said Paull.
In addition to playing in the concert, Snyder is looking forward to talking music with Melt before the show.
“Melt is a really talented group that has seen a quick rise in popularity, and I would like to ask them about their experience transitioning from a college band to a professional act,” said Snyder.
