Even those fortunate enough to have that someone special on Valentine’s Day are often let down as the roses die too quickly, the chocolate vanishes, and the romance of the candlelit dinner expires along with the flame. Those at the Cabaret Tuesday night, though, will remember the night as one of music and community, as Wax on Felt hosted its annual show Get Felt Up.
Wax on Felt Records is Emerson’s only student-run record label. Each year, they sign two bands to work with during the school year. The members work with the musicians on marketing, promotions, artistic development, booking, recording, and album distribution. The goal of Get Felt Up was to promote The Civil Slingers, this year’s spotlight band.
“We were looking solely for Emerson talent for this year’s performance to build a sense of the Emerson musical community,” said David Fonseca, the booking agent for Wax on Felt. Fonseca, a junior visual and media arts major, was the evening’s host. “We looked through the Battle of the Bands applications, and of course we’re featuring The Civil Slingers, the band we’re promoting.”
Soft pink hearts projected on the wall amalgamated with coffee-house rhythms and melodic acoustics. Micah Schure, a member of Wax on Felt, opened the show with songs about love and disappointment. The sophomore communication studies major filled the room with Corrine Bailey Rae-like cadences and a poignant voice.
“I’ve always been around music,” said Schure. “Both of my parents are musically affiliated. It’s something I love doing.”
She also uses her art to channel her stresses. “In 2008, I went through a house fire and I just needed some place to vent, so I turned to music.”
Curtain Cat, a duo made up of Kat Vicente, a sophomore journalism major, and Kurt Egghart, a junior visual and media arts major, performed cover songs. Although this was the lovable couple’s first performance, they seemed comfortable on stage — at least as long as they were next to each other. The two cast tender glances at each other that could have melted the hearts of the hardest Valentine’s cynics.
Sydney Manning, a junior marketing communication major and Wax on Felt member, performed a bluesy rendition of “Fever” by Peggy Lee while Ben Kling, a junior visual and media arts major and a former Beacon columnist, played a spirited interpretation of “Elenore” by The Turtles. The room, filled with the musicians’s close friends, interacted with the performers by shouting song preferences and words of encouragement.
The Civil Slingers, composed of Suffolk students Joe Aaskov and Sean Taggersell and Emerson’s Mike Sampson, a sophomore visual and media arts major, closed the evening with a style that resembled a concoction of Johnny Cash, Nirvana, and Guns N’ Roses. The three met in high school and have been playing together ever since. Their upbeat tempos and love-hating lyrics perfectly fit the theme of the Valentine’s Day celebration.
“Rock and roll is kind of dying,” said Aaskov. “But we’re hoping to keep it alive.”