WKNH embraced the Halloween spirit last week by hosting Haunted by Helixx and Dead By Dawn, a special concert that took place on Thursday, Oct. 23.
The event brought late-night life to the lobby of the L.P. Young Student Center with two energetic live music sets from acts Helixx and Dead By Dawn. Helixx, an EDM [electronic dance music] artist and KSC alum, took the stage first before Massachusetts-based and Halloween-themed synthwave artist Dead By Dawn closed out the night.
Along with taking place in the student center’s lobby, the concert was also streamed live on WKNH for online listeners.
Senior and WKNH General Manager Patrick Garcia said the concept of the concert was born with just the idea of the event’s name before any other details were locked into place.
“We were just riffing off of each other, making funny names for concerts that we weren’t really serious about, just brainstorming,” Garcia explained. “Somebody said ‘Haunted by Helixx’ and we were like, ‘Ooh, we could bring him back,’ and from there Dead By Dawn reached out to us and we were like, ‘Perfect.’”
As an audience of students watched Helixx perform in the student center, Garcia said, “I’m just excited that people are here and having fun … Especially since Lloyd’s closing early has been really killing the vibe in the student center. Most people don’t come here after 7 p.m. anymore, so the fact that we’re able to bring a little life back to the space after that is just making me happy.”
WKNH Event Coordinator and sophomore Sean Cattigan worked with Garcia to develop and plan the concert. Cattigan said his role in planning for the event involved communicating with the performing artists and “ironing out all the small details” so the event could run smoothly.
Cattigan said he saw the importance of this event as a place for students to get together and have a good time.
“I think the way everything is in the world right now, especially the climate around colleges, it’s nice for students to come and be with each other and not have to worry about anything going on,” Cattigan said. “Just come and hang out with similar-minded people, or not even similar-minded people, just people who love music and love being together. That was really the most important part for me, and that’s why I chose this specifically.”
Looking ahead, Cattigan said he is hoping to continue planning seasonal events throughout the year and is looking to work on a Christmas-themed event up next.
“We want to stay doing these events themed around the time,” Cattigan said. “Staying on theme and having a focus on local artists as well was pretty important for me specifically, just to get them out there more and show people that Keene and the surrounding areas have very good music to offer, but maybe it doesn’t get played as much.”
Junior Liam Thorne attended the concert, which he said he went to because he is a member of WKNH and is friends with the artist Helixx, who was one of the concert’s performers.
“I think this was a good idea. It was a lot of fun and a really good time, and good support for WKNH as well,” Thorne said.
Another student who attended the concert was sophomore Tagora Mortensen, who is also a member of WKNH. After watching the first act’s performance, Mortensen said, “I’ve enjoyed it. Obviously, it’s not like you’re listening to Mozart or something, but it’s a good time and I’ve been having fun.”
Mortensen also said he would love to see more events like this one be hosted in the future, adding, “One of my friends is in a local alternative rock grunge band, maybe I can see if we can set them up over here.”
Justin Dearborn can be reached at
jdearborn@kscequinox.com
