By Jenna Szymanski
The Office of Campus Life created the Lobby Concert Series in attempt to bring live singers and bands to play in the Gilligan Student Union Building (GSUB) lobby.
“We noticed students wanted live music, and GSUB is a central point on campus,” said Jeffrey Dessources, Assistant Director of Campus Life. “We want to utilize the campus and the lobby is a place we’ve never seen many events. We want to take chances and do events in places they’ve never been done before. We want students to give us their input on the music they want to hear. Students can directly contact Campus Life by stopping into our office. We want to know what the students want.”
Students who attended the Lobby Concert Series in April of 2013 requested the return of the Brown Rice Family—a high-energy reggae, funk, salsa and hip-hop group from Brooklyn, New York. They are the winners of New York City’s 2012 Battle of the Boroughs. They performed in the GSUB lobby on December 4, 2013.
“I saw the Brown Rice Family back in April, I loved them,” said Charice Handy, 20 majoring in psychology.”They were really energetic and they got the crowd involved. They had a funk-tastic vibe.”
The band began with a mellow Bob Marley song to draw the crowd in. Students walking through the GSUB could immediately hear the music. As the crowd gathered, the music picked up energy. The band members danced for the crowd and performed callback songs to engage the audience. Each song highlighted a different member of the band, showcasing their individual talents while still playing as a cohesive group.
“I really enjoy that they’re a diverse group, not only ethnicity wise, but also instrument wise. No song has the same instrument. They’re a group of guys who genuinely love the music they play,” said Amber Thomas, 19.
The Office of Campus Life will be continuing the Lobby Concert Series in the spring semester with performances every month starting in February. For more information about the Lobby Concert Series and other Campus Life events, follow them via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud @njcucampuslife.
