As the booking agent for The Union, Scott Winland spends much of his time seeking out bands and musicians to take the bar’s stage every weekend. So when students of his booking and promotion class were assigned to organize Bene-Fest, they found it easy to garner a spot at the bar.
Bene-Fest is held by the students of Winland’s class and will be a two-day event. Day one, at The Union, 18 W. Union St., will feature The Paul Elisha Band, Empirian, Jeffery Crace and Far From Abandoned. Day two will be at Casa Nueva, 4 W. State St., and feature Horseburner, Valley Boys, Goodbye Goats and Hippie Grinder.
All the events are free, but donations will be collected for ARTS/West, a local organization that provides resources and facilities to individual and organizational artists in the area.
“ARTS/West does great work for the community — after-school music programs for local kids, hosting diverse cultural events throughout the year and the rock camp for girls,” Winland said in an email. “I think it is a great benefactor choice for my students’ project.”
The free shows are meant to bring in more people, especially college students, who don’t always want to pay for the show.
Emily Prince, program specialist for ARTS/West, said that while some people come in for free or give just a little, others also give much more than is expected of them.
“People don’t really want to pay to see music any more,” said Mallory Beckley, a sophomore studying music in Winland’s class. “Why would I want to pay $4 to see a band I’ve never heard of?”
Winland’s students are expected to do what he does year-round for The Union: booking shows, finding bands and promoting the event with Facebook pages and videos.
The two shows feature diverse bills from bands such as The Paul Elisha Band, which plays jazz, to Far From Abandoned, which plays hardcore rock.
Winland said that he has found that these diverse bills tend to bring bands together within the music community when they normally would have little interaction, allowing them opportunities for social networking.
“I love how they’ve paired contrasting genres. I think that’s really smart,” Prince said. “There is really something for everyone, and I think it could help people broaden their taste.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
