Courtesy
Student life begins “Live in Loftin” music series; at least one band will include a student member.
By Rachel Cooper
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Live music will fill the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center next week as this college kick-starts “Live in Loftin,” a series of four concerts this academic year.
The first show will be 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday in the Fiesta Room. The originally scheduled band could not perform, so the office of student life is waiting on a different group to confirm, said Carrie Hernandez, senior student success specialist.
She says it’s a great way to connect with other students and relieve a little stress.
“Sometimes you need to take some time just for yourself, to come out and unwind a little,” she said.
Music that has been showcased in the past includes rock, jazz, Tejano and Mardi Gras.
A local band, The Ghost In The Machine, will perform Oct. 10.
The band is composed of five members: vocalist and guitarist Darius Davila, keyboard player John Compton, bassist Josh Delarosa, drummer Judah Davila and guitarist Emilio Aguilar, a music and audio engineering sophomore.
Davila described their music as indie rock with post-punk influences.
“I’d say our biggest inspirations are bands like Joy Division, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Doors, for sure, and Iggy Pop and The Stooges.”
He said a book inspired the band’s name. He was watching a documentary and heard a quote along the lines of “the mind is a machine that a ghost can operate.”
After looking it up, he discovered a book called “The Ghost In The Machine” by Arthur Koestler. Davila decided to read it.
The book is a novel with psychological and philosophical elements, he said.
The band name “just kinda stuck,” he said.
Students should not feel stuck if they cannot attend the entire two-hour concert, Hernandez said. She suggested that those who don’t have time to stay can “pop on by for a few minutes.”
She said students and employees should take a break out of their day from studying or being cooped up in their office.
If attending a concert at school seems unusual for students, playing a concert at a school is equally unusual for Davila.
The Ghost In The Machine usually performs at venues on the St. Mary’s strip.
“None of us have played on a college campus,” Davila said. “What’s cool about this is it’s on, like, an educational field.”
He said it’s not every day you can go to school and hear live bands playing.
“It will help school be a better place,” Davila said.
Hernandez invites student bands to contact her if they want to perform at Live in Loftin, which will continue next semester April 10 and 24.
Students and faculty are encouraged to bring a lunch, and the event will include free popcorn.
She said the Fiesta Room now has a permanent wall on the side that once opened out into Loftin, so students should not be discouraged to open the door to enjoy the bands.
For more information, contact Hernandez at chernandez@alamo.edu or in Room 260A of Loftin.
