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Printer-Friendly ModeMetal acts coming to campus
Student musicians finally get RSO backing for concert
February 12, 2007 —
Some people say heavy metal went out in a poof of hair spray in the early 1990s, but SVSU students Kenn Frank and Doug Julian still hold strong to their metal roots, and are now bringing their music to campus. The concert will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 8 p.m. to 2.a.m in the Multi-Purpose Room.
Frank, lead vocalist for local metal act Hokori, and Julian, drummer for another Saginaw-based metal band called Ratchetjaw, met two years ago, and have been trying to put on a concert at SVSU for nearly as long.
Julian birthed the idea three years ago while attending a Battle of the Bands in the Multi-Purpose Room.
"I just thought it was a really good place to have a show," Julian said.
The upcoming concert features a mix of metal and rock bands, all of which have ties to the University. Local acts The Gloaming, Daybreak, and Anarthria, as well as Frank and Julian's bands, are all scheduled to perform.
The two are excited about bringing an event like this to campus, and believe it can help build a sense of community among the students.
"It's good, and kids need it," Frank said. "It gives them something to do that doesn't involve underage drinking, going to Deja Vu, or gambling"
"Something like this will definitely keep kids on campus," Julian continued. "If you've ever been on campus during the weekends, it's a deadzone."
However, putting on a show at SVSU wasn't easy. They knew people's feelings about their music and felt those assumptions may have hindered the process.
"It seems like as soon as you use the words 'heavy metal' a whole bunch of red tape comes up," Frank said. "It seems like people get the wrong idea in their head a lot of the time."
Frank and Julian initially went to Program Board for assistance, and even though the board was interested, they seemed to be on a different page as to the nature of the concert.
"I knew Program Board had put on concerts before, and they seemed interested," Frank said. "But they wanted to know if it was going to be another battle of the bands, and those are just bad for the scene."
"Battles put the bands against each other," Julian continued, "and it's basically a popularity contest."
After going from RSO to RSO, Frank finally found one willing to let them put on the show they wanted. Through a chance meeting with the president of the Hispanic Interest Student Organization, Mario Cornejo, Frank saw an opportunity to finally get the show off and running.
"It was dumb luck that I work with Mario," Frank said, "and I gave him my spiel and he seemed pretty gung-ho about it."
Frank and Julian are excited to finally play at SVSU, and also to give students the chance to be exposed to music they may not have known about.
"They can go to head bang to the music, meet new people, and to broaden their horizons," Frank said. "And maybe someone will go not liking the music, but leave realizing that maybe heavy metal is for me."
