KSC students took a pit stop from their weekend activities to watch local band Sunday Ave. perform at the Night Owl Café.
Hosted by WKNH, Sunday Ave. performed Saturday, Feb. 17, surrounded by heart-shaped balloons following Valentine’s day just a few days before.
According to WKNH Event Coordinator Ryan Stone, this was not Sunday Ave.’s first time jamming out at Keene State College.
“We’ve had Sunday Ave. on campus multiple times before and they’re wicked easy to work with,” Stone said. “It was very smooth sailing for once in the events world.”
Sunday Ave. is a local New Hampshire band consisting of guitarist and vocalist Warren Olson and drummer and vocalist Aidan Landry. The duo’s set consisted of previously released songs such as “Ballad Unknown” and “Thread” and the duo even performed an acoustic set. Additionally, Sunday Ave. performed an unreleased song titled “Lilac” which, according to Landry, will be the title of their next single.
“Their music is very upbeat and people really enjoy their music when they come to play here and they have good energy,” Stone said.
Ryan said Sunday Ave. is a great band to have at Keene State because the band members are also college students who have found success at a young age.
“They’re both also students … “It’s really cool to see musicians that are talented and that successful,” Stone said. “They go to New York City playing shows and doing all that cool stuff … I think people really like that sense of community and relation with them.”
WKNH Station Manager Anna Bertolino said Sunday Ave. has an energy that pulls students in, whether out of curiosity or familiarity.
“People might be familiar or not familiar with them and I think there are some people that might return because they’ve seen them before,” Bertolino said. “If they’ve never heard of them before, then it’s a chance to come and check them out.”
First-year May Cassidy was among one of the students on campus who were unfamiliar with the band but decided to take a listen.
“I really enjoyed it, I only caught the last few numbers but really cool stuff, clearly very talented musicians,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy added the duo made her want to hop on stage with them.
“I’m a bass player so I’m tempted to ask if they want somebody to play the bass parts live,” Cassidy said.
Landry said the duo was appreciative of the tech team and audience throughout the performance.
“I thought tonight went great,” Landry said. “I think that the people who run the sound here are just the absolute best and we always feel comfortable, non-stressed and ready to go when we come.”
Regarding upcoming music for Sunday Ave., Landry said, “We’re in the album cycle right now, and it’s most likely that [“Lilac”] will be coming out sometime in the next few months.” To the band, “Lilac” will be, “Something to look out for and something we’re very excited about,” Landry said. “It’s a big turn for our sound and we’re taking a new direction and we’re very excited.”
Stone said WKNH will be planning to host more events on campus throughout the spring, especially when the weather is warmer.
“We’re trying to plan a student band-focused event for April, very similar to the Finals Countdown Show that we did [in spring 2022],” Stone said. “We’re looking to get into contact with Splatter, which is a local band that play at the Alpha Sig house … We’re just trying to get in touch with student musicians who want to play.”
Nicole Dumont can be contacted at
ndumont@kscequinox.com
