As the summer is fast approaching, KXSU is moving out of the studio in the basement of Campion and onto the Bellarmine Patio for their last concert of the year, KXSU Forever. This is the brainchild of Promotions Director Jason McCue, who wanted to throw one last KXSU concert before graduating in June. The lineup will feature McCue, Honcho Poncho, Maria Plays All the Instruments (MPATI), Anime Creek and Laurel Freeman. The concert will take place on Friday, June 1.
“I figured this would be a great way to showcase bands that are friends of mine, as well as celebrate the station in general,” McCue said.
KXSU is also partnering with local non-profit Peace for the Streets by Kids on the Streets (PSKS), an organization they’ve been working with since their Winterfest charity concert in January. KXSU Forever will be yet another benefit concert.
“PSKS is an incredible non-profit based out of Capitol Hill that focuses on providing aid and resources to homeless youth in the city,” McCue said. “We figured the combination of the great work they do for the community plus how close-to-home they are would make them the optimal community partner.”
McCue describes his musical style as having a new age Norwegian death metal sound to it and his music is available to listen to on Bandcamp. He is excited to share the stage with the rest of the bands and performers on the lineup.
“Audience members can expect me to try my best to crowd surf at some point during the show,” McCue said. “It’s risky since it’ll be on the roof of the Pavilion for Leadership, and the chances of me falling down two stories are pretty high, but hey, you got to live a little.”
Second year political science major Laurel Freeman will also be performing at KXSU Forever. During her first year at Seattle U, she performed her music at various locations through a collective called Friends and Friends of Friends. Freeman eventually met McCue and played a few shows with him around Seattle. She describes her style as having a mellow singer-songwriter sound to it, drawing influences and inspiration from artists such as Florist, Snail Mail and Sylvan Esso. Her music can also be found on Bandcamp.
“Usually, I play solo with just vocals and an electric guitar, but I am really excited for this set because I am trying out something I have never done live before, which is incorporating some non-guitar music I created on my computer into my regular music,” Freeman said. “I have been wanting to put a new twist on some of my older songs, and I think it will be fun to try this out.”
McCue is the only performer that Freeman has seen live before, so the show will be exciting for her too.
“I am really excited to see the other performers sets.,” Freeman said. “I think this event is going to bring a fun and diverse crowd, and I can’t wait for people to hear all the great music SU students have to offer.”
KXSU Head Arts Reporter Julia Olson and her bandmates in MPATI are playing in KXSU Forever because of their close connection with Jason. It’s Julia’s last year working on the blog and her bandmates Anna Kaplan and Maria King, who are also former KXSU reporters, are all excited to cap off their experience with this performance.
“I would describe our music primarily as bad,” Olson said. “Maria is a wizard of music, and when we write songs Anna and I pretty much just describe a sound and Maria somehow knows how to work with that? Once we told Maria we wanted the music to be more ‘Bahdum bum bum’ and she came up with some rocking chords? Wild.”
MPATI currently does not have any of their music available on streaming platforms, but they are in the process of recording, or at least wanting to record.
“Audience members can expect some pretty bad singing from Anna and I while Maria plays three instruments at once. Sometimes Anna and I play the cowbell,” Olson said.
Olson, Kaplan and King came up with the concept for the band at a party a year ago and never dreamed of playing alongside these local, talented artists. MPATI performances have been casual. Their friends attend and turn them into sing-alongs and dance shows.
“The three of us go into gigs with zero pressure and no reservations, because we really aren’t trying to accomplish much with our music except have some fun, [you] know?” Olson said.
Those attending the event can also look forward to alternative rock band Honcho Poncho and lo-fi happy-punk band Anime Creek at KXSU Forever.
Tickets for KXSU Forever are $7 online and $10 at the door.
Frances may be reached at
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