Listening to the same Top 40 hits on the radio every single day can be boring, but students have a chance to update their playlists with some of Syracuse University’s most talented student artists on Thursday night.

SU Recordings and WERW College Radio will give some of Syracuse’s greatest musicians a chance to shine at their annual spring artist showcase at Jabberwocky Café.

Doors for the SU Recordings and WERW Spring Artists Showcase will open at 7:30 p.m., with the show starting at 8 p.m.

“There will be a lot of diverse acts. Here at Syracuse, we do not put enough emphasis on the talent within the student body. The showcase will help expose students to these singer-songwriters,” said Ian Teti, senior public relations major and the general manager of WERW.

Teti said the showcase will allow students to engage in something different compared to other SU activities around campus.

The showcase will include music from SU’s own Pensive & Naomi Flores, Julia Wolfe, Max Puglisi, The Miles Kept and Austin Holmes, who is featured on the cover of the most recent issue of 20 Watts Magazine.

Julia Wolfe, a junior music industry major, is one singer-songwriter performing during the showcase. Her music has been compared to Sara Bareilles quite often from those who have had a chance to listen to her work.

She cites Lily Allen as one of her major musical influences because of her sassiness, and loves the style and poetry of British singer Sting.

“I would say my music is diverse, sassy and meaningful,” Wolfe said.

Naomi Flores, performing alongside Pensive, describes their music as, “more of hip-hop meets jazz meets alternative.” A junior industrial and interactive design major, Flores looks to an array of artists as an influence, from Ella Fitzgerald to Kate Nash and Joss Stone. She describes the music she creates as alternative hip-hop.

The different sounds attributed to these two performers attest to how diverse the overall showcase will be.

“I do not want to speak for everyone, but here at WERW, we strive to always do something different,” Teti said. “We usually promote local music and alternative artists, so working with SU Recordings was like a match made in heaven.”

WERW is the sole student-run independent radio station at Syracuse University. The radio station is streamed over the Internet with a variety of shows. SU Recordings is also student-run. The record label signs students and helps develop them as artists.

“For my friends to be able to put on shows such as this has helped me network and gave me a space to perform,” Flores said.

Although the showcase is only in the Jabberwocky Café, the station hopes their performance can resonate like a real concert due to their professionalism.

“My favorite thing is that all the artists performing have unique styles, so it will be an interesting mix of talent,” Wolfe said. “We represent a lot of different genres.”

Teti explained that not only will the concert be a cool way for friends to hang out, but it will also be very intimate and something different from the music shows normally hosted at Syracuse, like Juice Jam and the upcoming Block Party concert in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

“Not only is it good to support your fellow students, but people will get to hear some really good music,” Flores said. “It’s also great for me because I get to meet other artists and network as well.”

Published on April 24, 2014 at 1:30 am

Contact Bodeline: bkdautru@syr.edu