The promotional poster for “A Spooky Summit,” a concert that will be hosted by the Music Industry Club at Summit Music Hall Sunday. Credit: Courtesy of Music Industry Club
Ohio State’s Music Industry Club is bringing a brand-new event to Columbus’ music scene this Halloween season.
The student organization, which provides professional networking opportunities to students pursuing careers in the music industry, according to the club’s university webpage, will host its first Halloween concert, titled “A Spooky Summit,” at The Summit Music Hall Sunday.
Besides four Columbus-based bands — New Modern, Living is Rare, A Band Called Dreamland and Freak Waves — “A Spooky Summit” will also feature local DJ T4BR1S, the club’s Instagram page states. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the performances kicking off at 7 p.m.
Garrison Henry, a third-year in public policy analysis and political science and the Music Industry Club’s booking chair, said creating a positive concert experience for audience members is a top priority; additionally, he hopes club members can learn what it takes to plan a successful show from beginning to end.
“I want to get all these bands that I love, and I know are going to work well together, and we’re going to get them on a stage. But, also it’s about creating a learning experience for the members of the club,” Henry said.
Having been in the works since spring, the concert-planning process has allowed club members to advance their knowledge regarding set design, creating promotional content and overall show production, Henry said.
Isaac Gomez, lead singer and guitarist of Columbus-originated, alternative-rock band New Modern, said he is excited about the present and future opportunities the concert will give small-scale artists.
“You want to grow your audience because, for a local band, there’s nothing more important than the local people,” Gomez said. “You know, everyone wants to be famous and all that, but I think at the end you just want to be a part of a community, and I think this show brings that.”
Brady Bair, the vocalist, keyboardist and ukulelist of A Band Called Dreamland, said being explicitly booked to play a venue can be somewhat rare for local bands. He said securing an invite to “A Spooky Summit” meant a lot to the genre-mixing trio.
“As of recently, I think we’ve really opened up a lot and have gained a lot of confidence in our performance abilities,” Bair said. “So I think that this show, at least for us, will be a really good performance. I think we’re just going to have fun with it.”
Both the participating artists and club members are looking forward to not only having a fun-filled evening but also growing the Music Industry Club’s presence on and off campus, Henry said.
“Anyone that comes is going to be supporting a greater cause for the future of this club,” Henry said. “It’s gonna be a good time, and we hope to use this event to sort of trial and error. I mean, we’re gonna do it right, but there’s always stuff to learn from, and we wanna make the next one better, and the next one better, and have better artists, and just grow this thing, grow the audience, really provide to the Columbus music scene.”
“A Spooky Summit” is open to any student or Columbus community member who is interested in attending, and tickets can be purchased for $5 via Eventbrite.
