KURE Radio hosted KURE Fest, a free, two-day music event featuring performances from six incredible Midwestern artists Friday and Saturday in the Maintenance Shop of the Memorial Union.
On Friday night, Slater headlined, while Woem and Colin Bracewell opened the show. Slater is known for his musical experimentation, especially with fusing elements of alternative pop and hip hop. Slater has developed a very tasteful and unique sound throughout all of his music since 2013. According to Slater’s artist description on Spotify, if you are looking for “seductive club bangers” or “therapeutic, night-time-cruising tunes,” you need to check him out.
Woem is an alternative rock band, and they are no strangers to Ames with their past performances at the Maintenance Shop, as well as the Angry Irishmen bar. Colin Bracewell is a Canadian-American pop-folk-rock artist based in Minneapolis. He is also a student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, creating music while also studying vocal performance and marketing.
Quarters of Change headlined Saturday, while Soulcage and Allegra Hernandez opened the show. I was nothing but blown away by how amazing all of the artists were.
Soulcage, a rock band based in Des Moines, is heavily influenced by the essence of original rock, releasing an explosive sound of distorted guitar, hard-hitting drums right and intense vocals from the very moment the show began. The band’s lead singer, Jayden “Erdy” Erdman, was very interactive with the crowd, and the entire band fed off of the energy from the big crowd of students. They opened up the show with their infectious, high-energy performance, setting the stage for incredible energy from the following performers.
Hernandez, a songwriter and guitarist from Des Moines, took the stage right after Soulcage and performed with their bandmates, creating an interestingly cozy atmosphere out of the loud collections of sound. Their performance was incredible, and I personally appreciated the musical versatility of the band, not only with their sound, but their compositional and technical skills. Along with the jaw-dropping guitar riffs, funky bass lines and groovy drums, Hernandez’s vocals and lyrics were passionate and beautiful. I cannot wait to see what Soulcage and Hernandez will release in the future.
Finally, the headliners, Quarters of Change, came on stage and took the entire night to another level with their music and stage presence. Quarters of Change, an alternative rock band formed in New York City, performed with a passionate and gorgeous rock sound. I was not familiar with them until I decided to listen to them a few hours before the show, but I was pleasantly surprised by their sound, especially their songs “Kiwi” and “T Love.” Quarters of Change has a very clear group image and artistry that the audience could feel from just watching them perform, especially with the way lead singer, Ben Roter, dramatically revealed his face hidden under a red cloth after two songs into their set. All of their members are incredibly talented and I am so glad KURE Fest was able to introduce me to this great group of musicians.
Jennifer Rodriguez, a freshman at Iowa State majoring in mechanical engineering, came to the show with no knowledge of any of the artists performing, but left in awe because of the amazing performances and energy from the artists. Her favorite band was Quarters of Change.
“[I] liked the songs they played, and they had an overall great atmosphere,” Rodriguez said.
At the end of the show, she was even able to get the guitar pick from Quarters of Change member, Ben Acker, after holding up a sign on her phone that said “Can I have your guitar pick?”
Rodriguez shared that she will continue to support and listen to all of the bands who performed that night.
For more information about the bands, their social media can be found on the Student Union’s Facebook page.
