Student Programming and Activities’ first Eddy of the semester launched on Thursday, Oct. 4 with thoughtful, hip-moving soul. Featuring free food, free music and a lively atmosphere, students got down to senior music major Angel Ramirez’s heartbreaking bluesy spirit and BrowderSister’s self-described, upbeat “rock ‘n’ soul.” Both acts brought their own buoyancy and energy, rocking the fireplace pavilion down as students sang and danced along to the soulful music.
HEARTBREAKING BLUES
Ramirez’s music is as thoughtful as it is touching, as each original song brought you back to painful moments of heartbreak and loss. His soulful voice and bluesy feels were reminiscent of music legends like John Mayer and B.B. King as each impassioned guitar solo reached overwhelming approval from the crowd. Ramirez’s passion and emotion were only amplified by the live performance, as audience members could not help but experience the same pain he once felt. Ramirez’s songs are not just said for sadness sake—they are expressive because everyone relates to heartbreak.
“It comes from real pain, real struggles,” Ramirez said. “Those songs mean a lot to me, they’re songs of comfort to me first. When I’m singing, I’m singing from my point of view, but I’m also singing knowing that other people are there too, in the same place.”
His entire set was lively, emotional and entertaining. Throughout the act, Ramirez offered multiple opportunities for the crowd to interact with the performance. Whether it was through a sing-a-long to beloved the beloved Beatles song “Don’t Let Me Down,” or by sheerly wowing the crowd with intricate electric guitar riffs, everyone was engaged.
STUDENTS GET DOWN TO ROCK ‘N’ SOUL
BrowderSister describes their genre as “rock ‘n’ soul.” The duo consists of singer and guitarist Sean Beck, who grew up with rock ‘n’ roll, and Kesha Shantrell who grew up singing soul. This mish-mash of genres features the fun, upbeat nature of rock rolled into soulful, emotional gospel-esque lyrics.
Their performance at the Eddy can best be described as fun. Shantrell’s powerful voice blows your ears back while Beck’s energetic guitar playing moves your feet with sweet, electric riffs. Full of spirited solos, their dance-inducing music cannot help but entertain, prompting students throughout the pavilion to get down with “rock ‘n’ soul.” Junior cinema and media arts major Kamia Byers reflected on how much fun it was to sing and praise God together.
“I liked how energetic it was,” Byers said. “Everyone was very willing to dance and willing to shed their skin and have fun and praise God. It was [a] great performance.”
Through all the hip swaying, jumping and head bopping, BrowderSister’s music contains more than just dance-inspiring music. Each song contains deep messages about proper social media etiquette and being loving in our politically divided nation. As fun as their music is, they call Christians to be mindful and hopeful in this broken age.
“We like to write songs about hope,” Beck said. “We started the band for two reasons. We want to play fun music with our friends and we want to spread a message of hope. That’s what BrowderSister is all about.”
With this semester’s first Eddy in the books as an energetic showcase of soul, students can look forward to the Eddy’s hip-hop show Sola Soul later this fall.
