Student artists get the crowd on their feet at the Eddy

Performers serenade fellow Biolans at the first Eddy of the semester.

Kayla Santos and Adam Pigott • February 8, 2019

Photo courtesy of Photo by Marlena Lang // The Chimes

UPDATED: Feb. 9, 2019, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 7 marked Student Programing and Activities’ first Eddy of the semester, entertaining Biolans with four student musical acts, chocolate chip pancakes, a donut wall and Starbucks hot beverages. The two-hour-long concert helped students destress after reaching the four-week mark of the semester.

HEARTFELT ACOUSTICS

Freshman commercial music major Mehki Key opened the night with an original worship song, flaunting acoustic guitar riffs and gospelly vocals. To follow, Key sung a mashup of “Hero” from the Disney Channel original movie “Starstruck,” “Collide” by Howie Day and “Exchange” by Bryson Tiller. Although three very different songs, Key used his fresh, acoustic style to blend the songs smoothly. Bringing honest worship and a surprising mashup, Key ultimately sought to honor God with his performance.

“I just hope [the audience] can see that I’m up there just worshipping the Lord,” Key said. “I know it’s secular music and everything like that, but I’m just up there worshipping the Lord and doing my thing, pursuing the gift that he’s given me.”

GIRL POWER

In the second act of the night, sophomore public relations major Amanda Pappalardo showcased her original songs with a spunky, rock vibe. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, Pappalardo exposed her raw lyricism with an electric guitar and a Paramore-type sound. Above anything else, Pappalardo wanted her performance to exude relatability.

“I hope that my songs and my lyrics can give people something to connect to and something to relate to,” Pappalardo said.

Some attendees were pleased to witness music that was profound and personal.

“This was my first Eddy experience,” said sophomore business major Rachel Reynolds. “It was completely different from what I thought. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the singers got to spend more time up on stage and just do what they love and sing songs that were pretty personal.”

ROCK ON

As the third act of the night, alternative rock band Flight Deck kept the rock momentum fueled with their 2000s-inspired alternative style. Composed of former Biola student Ricky Brandon, sophomore business majors Will Kizanis and Bryce Mckee, Concordia University student Tyger Cortazar and Cal Poly Pomona student Jordan Harris, the five-man-band spewed some original songs and a lighthearted Chainsmokers cover to get the audience moving.

Opening with “You Take Me Away” off their self-titled EP, Flight Deck charmed the crowd with this uplifting, heartwarming love song, written by frontman Ricky Brandon. The band then introduced the audience to newer singles, “Headstrong” and “Rewind,” which continued expressing the band’s 2000s alternative rock style through heavy guitar riffs and Brandon’s nearly-screaming vocals. Before ending the night with their debut single “Feel Again,” Flight Deck engaged with the crowd through their cover of Chainsmokers’ “Closer.”

CRAZY FOR CHICO

The final act, Chico, stole the show with their surf-punk-rock grooves and ‘80s and ‘90s rock covers. Former student Casey Cox, junior business marketing major Lukas Klause, senior marketing management major Tony Rangel and junior journalism major Lance Gibson invited the audience for a night of laughter and one last handful of rock tunes. The night took a wild turn when people from the crowd jumped off the stage to crowd surf and join in a mosh pit.

Opening with a couple Wavve-esque originals, the audience immediately started head-banging and dancing to Chico’s debut performance. Throwing it back to 1987 with a cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” the band confidently switched from their surf-punk style to ‘80s new wave. Chico the Band concluded their set with a cover of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name,” a song unambiguously against police brutality, which gave the Eddy an unforgettable conclusion. With a rather entertaining debut set, the band ultimately wanted the audience to let loose and enjoy a carefree evening while also considering the nation’s current social and political issues.

“Hopefully [the audience] knows to come out, go to shows, not take things too seriously, know the problems in the world and know that we got to fight against them,” said frontman Gibson. “And if we come together, it’s pretty easy.”

With various acts and genres throughout the night, audience members appreciated the hard work each of the student artists put in to make the night possible.

“I’m always impressed by those who stand in front of others and share their art,” said senior accounting major Troy Gebert.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled Rangel’s name and the name of his band. The name of the lead guitarist has also been added.

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About the Contributors

Kayla Santos, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Kayla Santos is a senior journalism major who loves gooey chocolate chip cookies, traveling to new places and playing volleyball at the beach. [email protected] Hi readers! I come to you from the city of San Jose, California, which is about one hour south of San Francisco (and has the best boba). I’ve always loved sports. I was always that girl that would rather be out playing basketball than going shopping or doing makeovers. I came into Biola as a kinesiology major with hopes of a career in sports medicine and sports training, but everything changed during the spring semester of my sophomore year. Though I still love athletics, I realized that there is something that I enjoy even more than that: storytelling. After two years as a kinesiology major, I decided to change my major to journalism. Although I joined the Chimes party a little bit later than most, I’m thrilled to be on staff once again for my senior year at Biola. I love all kinds of music: reggae, R&B, 80’s, alternative—you name it! You can count on me to constantly be on the lookout for artists and bands that are on tour. That being said, I am so excited to be editing for the Arts and Entertainment section of the Chimes this year. When I’m not on the search for the next concert, I love going to coffee and tea shops, finding cute places to snap photos and eating Korean barbeque.

Adam Pigott, Staff Writer

Adam Pigott is a journalism major set to graduate in the spring of 2021. He enjoys training in martial arts and exploring Los Angeles as well as Orange County in his free time. Hey there! I am a junior journalism major with an emphasis in broadcasting from the beautiful state of Hawaii. I grew up on the Big Island in a small town called Honokaa. I participated in a lot of production-based work in my later years of high school, and I fell in love with telling stories from that point on. My love of stories originally came from my love of movies. I knew that I wanted to tell stories, but for the longest time, I did not know of the best path to take in order to do that. That’s when broadcasting came along. I love telling stories, and Biola has given me the path to do that. Telling stories through a video camera allows viewers to truly experience the story. Viewers get to experience the emotions, pace and mood because it's taking place right on their screen. I love being a part of bringing viewers that experience. I want to expand my horizons by not just becoming a good broadcaster, but also being a good writer. I am blessed to be a part of The Chimes, and I look forward to displaying my work.