Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Photo By Elizabeth Appleyard

Reggae and rock shake the campus

By kuong lam

khlam@vwc.edu

VWC rocked on Wednesday night when alternative-rock group Braddigan performed a concert on the steps of Village III. The concert was held as one WAC s  Welcome Back Week events and was hosted by the Mainstage committee.

Braddigan is a three member band named after the lead singer, Brad Corrigan. The band classifies their music as  a little bit of everything. They assimilate various styles of music from different parts of the world into their alternative sound.  We re reggae. We re rock. We re everything. I capture music everywhere I perform and incorporate it into our music, says Corrigan.

For a band who has had sold-out venues around the world, playing at college campuses was not something rare for them.  Colleges are our favorite! says Corrigan.  Twenty-five percent of our shows are at colleges.

The band found their way to Virginia Wesleyan College when their fan Andrew Charbonneau, a sophomore at the college, made arrangements with the Student Activities Office to get them to come perform.  I saw them in concert last year in New Hampshire, says Charbonneau.  I met them the next day while surfing and convinced them to come here to play.

The band began playing on the steps at the entrance to Village III to a small crowd of students and guests from off-campus supporting the band standing in the grass area, while more students enjoyed the concert on their porches outside of their townhouses and the apartments.

Their set consisted of bright lights, loud amplifiers, and enough original music to cover their two hour performance.

Braddigan showed they were more than just a singing rock group, but also activists when they stated that they donate a lot of their proceeds to an organization in Nicaragua that deals with trash and waste.  We re definitely entertainers, said Corrigan during their set.  But our platform is on humanity.

Following their speech, they performed an instrumental piece they had learned in Nicaragua that was primarily of bass and drums. The song was well received by the students. Some stated that it was very unique and creative, while other said it was a relief from the two hours of rock they had listened to.

 I liked them. They were good. Not to mention they re really nice guys, says Brian Conner, Director of Mainstage.

 Even though it was not my type of music, it was a great concert, says Tiffanie Bundick, a VWC junior.