When Caitlin Moriarty and Ryan Whitman witnessed the turnout for their Haiti relief concert at Funk ‘n Waffles, they were surprised to see what their fellow Syracuse University students were capable of. Fighting frigid temperatures and a whiteout snowstorm, about 200 people made the trek Friday night to support those affected in the Jan. 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

‘So many people showed a huge amount of interest in such a short time that we had to get the date,’ said Whitman, a sophomore music industry major and vice president of Play It By Ear, an arts advocacy group.

Put together in about two weeks, the concert showcased 10 bands and musicians with a wide range of styles. The lineup featured R&B artist Keith Smith, the foot-tapping and jazzy creations of Aaron Gittleman, rock originals and covers from Digital Beauty, and the Philadelphia-based Drink Up Buttercup.

Drink Up Buttercup was already slated to play at Funk ‘n Waffles before the charity event was created, but said they couldn’t have been more thrilled to play at the event.

‘College kids don’t have that much money, so to come out and pay to help a greater cause then going out to the bars on a Friday night, that’s pretty awesome,’ said Ben ‘Money,’ a member of Drink Up Buttercup.

Teaming up with Artists on the Brink, a subdivision of University Union, Play It By Ear is a student organization that focuses on bringing students together to support the music scene. Since October of 2009, the close-knit group of local musicians and music majors, many of whom are personal friends, have helped to raise money for similar causes.

Other musicians at the event felt similarly, including Stephen Babcock, a freshman in The Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries.

‘I think it’s great that people want to come out and enjoy great music and support a great cause,’ he said. ‘It says a lot about the student body here.’

Alan Peterson, also a freshman in the Bandier Program, was equally impressed by Friday’s turnout and what it meant for SU.

‘It’s a gathering of great musicians and artists for a great cause. It shows that people have recognized Haiti as a travesty and are willing to help support it,’ he said.

With so little time to get the word out, Play It By Ear needed a way to spread the news to many people as quickly as possible. Aimee Hultquist, a sophomore architecture major who attended Friday’s concert, was invited via Facebook.

Hultquist stressed the importance of such sites to inform more people about events of this nature.

‘It’s a lot easier to invite all of your friends on Facebook than it is to put up posters,’ she said.

All profits from the event, which is estimated around $1,000, will go directly to the Clinton-Bush Foundation for relief efforts in Haiti.

akgould@syr.edu

Published on January 31, 2010 at 12:00 pm