rock – Houghton STAR

Featuring The City Harmonic, Houghton College, will host its first Accepted Students Weekend, allowing prospective students to experience Houghton before many of them make their final decision.

The weekend, beginning on Thursday, March 19 and will conclude Saturday, March 21. Friday, March 20 at 8 p.m. in the Wesley Chapel, Houghton will welcome multi-award winning rock and worship group, The City Harmonic, with special guest and recent Houghton graduate, Taylor Wilding ‘14. The performance will take place as a stop on their nationwide tour. Friday, March 20 at 8 p.m. in the Wesley Chapel.

The Admission Office has put together a weekend “geared toward providing accepted students an opportunity to visit campus, meet other potential classmates, and interact with faculty and staff,” said senior admission counselor, Zina Teague. Accepted students will arrive on Thursday evening and will stay through the weekend, leaving Saturday morning.

Each accepted student will have the chance to stay overnight with current Houghton students, view a movie in the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, and attend The City Harmonic concert. Following the concert there will be an after party in the Center for the Arts building and all current and prospective students are welcome. Teague said of the accepted students, “Overall, we want them to have a chance to experience what it’s like to be a Houghton College student.”

Houghton offers many Visit Days or Opportunity Days for prospective students to have a tour of the campus, attend classes, and meet other current and prospective students. However, this Accepted Students Weekend offers high school and transfer students the opportunity to spend a weekend on Houghton’s campus, while attending events to make their stay more memorable.

Accepted Students Weekend is unique to other Visit or Opportunity Days because it offers accepted and current students the chance to attend The City Harmonic concert. According to Housing Liaison and Resident Director of Lambein, Krista Maroni, the concert is helpful due to a lack of activities during overnight visits. Maroni said, “I’ve found that hosts often struggle to find creative activities to share with their visitors. The concert provides an easy way for current and prospective students to share an experience and connect. Ideally the concert and the after party can be a jumping point for future connections.”

Maroni also mentioned how the concert will leave accepted students with a “lasting memory of their visit”. In past years, Houghton has hosted bands such as Jars of Clay and Sanctus Real, so The City Harmonic will add to Houghton’s repertoire of award-winning performers. Having The City Harmonic perform during Accepted Students Weekend enables accepted students to engage in an energetic, exciting weekend that is different from the typical weekend here at Houghton. Maroni stated “Prospective students are vital to Houghton’s future and the culture we want to create; this concert is an expression of that value.”

Walk the Moon Releases New Album

On December 2, 2014, Walk the Moon released their album, Talking is Hard to an audience of eager indie pop/rock fans. Walk the Moon’s most recent album resonates with a generation that seeks communication through artful dialogues. The band perfects this art by addressing social issues without fear or apology. The creative use of percussion, guitar riffs, and stylized lyrics creates a kaleidoscope of sound that provokes a reaction in the listener that transcends mere melodic recognition.

The four-man band that formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2010 achieved success from their energetic self-entitled album, WALK THE MOON in June 2012. Their listening audience grew as their contagious, youthful spunk infected the hearts of a generation not only eager to ask questions, but also eager to dance off the uncertainty of life by way of creative percussion lines and poetic lyricism.

The new album begins with lead singer, Nicholas Petricca’s distinguishable falsetto voice ushering his modern audience into a discussion on the timeless topic of race in culture. The song, Different Colors, depicts a celebration of differences expressed through a simple, upbeat melody reminiscent of a positive protest saying, “Come on lovers/come on haters/tonight we raise the fire/cause when people get to dancing/they forget about taking sides.” The song explores the healing powers of music and dance on topics that have plagued society for centuries.

The theme of curative dance first appeared when the band released their single, Shut up and Dance on September 9, 2014. The carefree dance anthem satisfied widespread anticipation for the release and provided an effective precursor for the album. The song highlights the popular theme of relationships that many artists attempt to capture. However, the vulnerable, honest approach that the band takes creates a credible framework for listeners to relate to. The untamed pop sound and metaphorical interpretations of relationships emerge clearly in the song, Avalanche, in which drummer Sean Waugaman keeps the listener dancing while Petricca provokes introspection through imagery. The song creatively tells the story of one look causing an avalanche to drop in the heart of a young romantic. Although the song idealizes love at first sight, the catchy chorus prompts the listener to give in to the beat and embrace the clichéd feelings that even the most rational thinker experiences.

Fortunately, the band’s interpretation of romantic expression is not limited to clichés. The song Portugal depicts the complexities of relationships as a part of growing up. Petricca sings, “What you don’t know now one day you’ll learn/’Cause growing up is a heavy leaf to turn.” The honesty of uncertainty manifests itself in the raw emotion that the band conveys through a spoken portion of the song that encourages thanksgiving amidst the unknown outcomes of life, love, and personal circumstance.

The biggest surprise of the album arrives at the fourth track entitled, Up 2 You. The song begins with synthesizer and bass, but it transitions to a heavy rock and roll chorus that catches the listener off guard. The chorus shouts, “It’s up to you” at a young person who has blamed the world for all his problems and neglects the importance of personal change. The tone of the album changes at this point from celebration to instruction. The band feels responsible to educate their peers about lessons they have learned as a band and as individuals. The harsh song effectively makes its point to get the attention of the listener in an effort to guide the listener into the album’s final stage of optimism for the future.

The final song, Aquaman, ends the album with a ballad depicting a nervous man who stands at the edge of a diving board questioning whether he should dive into the water. He decides a minute into to the song, “So here we go, head first with no regrets.” He knows it won’t be easy as he sings, “You gotta risk your neck/but know in your heart it will be worth it.” The image does not sugar-coat relationships, but it accurately portrays the dichotomy of fear and hope that exists in the daily process of taking daily life “one breath, after another.” In this album the band finds new ways to play with their sound by implementing synthesizer, percussion, guitar, and powerful lyrics. This combination creates a provocative, yet fun listening experience for connoisseurs of music who hunger for innovative sound that inspires endless dance moves and meaningful reflection.