To replace its well-known Tuesday Game Night, The Union hosted bands including 24hr Video, Palefire, Shep Treasure and Learner. From Missouri, Texas, New York and Ohio, each representing a different stage.
Bringing bands out of state together was labeled a “rare Tuesday night” by The Union on Instagram. Ohio University students and locals gathered inside the bar for a night of onstage performances, an alternative to the Union’s traditional game night.
Shep Treasure has nearly 2,700 monthly listeners on Spotify. Lead singer Sabrina Nichols said the band has a “sad and thoughtful” mood. Along with Claire McClusky, who plays bass guitar, James Keegan, who plays guitar and Nate Bellavia, who plays drums, the band is based in Rochester, New York.
“We are on tour right now supporting a new album, and we wanted to go through Ohio on the way back to Rochester, New York, and we hit up our friends,” Nichols said. “(Their band is) called Learner … and they let us join the show at The Union Bar.”
Learner has about 200 listeners on Spotify. Members include Jonas Hoelzle, who plays lead guitar, Eliza Gintert, who plays synth and sings vocals, Aiden Platz, who plays guitar and sings and Jack Condon, who plays the drums.
Platz said the band has a “pretty laid back and melancholy” feel and falls under the “alternative” and “shoegaze” genres.
Through Athens and OU, Learner was formed. Its connection to Athens is why the band performs at The Union.
“It’s like the one music venue,” Condon said. “I mean (The Union) actually gets bands from out of town usually, and has shows consistently every week. So, if you come to OU and you’re into live music, you have to (come here).”
Platz said he knows Keegan from Shep Treasure, and each band has made a small community of booking each other at other venues. Platz said he and Keegan met up in Cleveland to play guitar at a park together, and by staying connected, both bands helped each other's book shows.
In addition to forming friendships with other bands’ members, some music artists showcase their talents with them too.
“I play in another band called Kitchen, (and) we played a show in Athens maybe a year or two ago,” Nichols said. “We had a really good time, so we wanted to come through again.”
Based out of Kansas City, Missouri, 24 HR Video has about 150 monthly listeners on Spotify. From Denton, Texas, Palefire has nearly 600 monthly listeners on Spotify. The two bands are touring together on the East Coast.
Learner members said Athens stands out as an entertainment scene because of its close-knit community.
“The Athens music scene historically has been really strong,” Condon said. “I feel like people don’t really see Athens as a huge spot to go if you’re on tour from out of state … unless you know people.”
Condon said the city’s music scene’s “dynamic seems to have changed” in recent years because of a decrease in house shows. However, for Learner and other bands, Athens continues to be a lively area to perform in.
“I think Athens is a good spot to come, and there are a lot of good bands that come through, but it’s a lot less common now,” Platz added. “I think more people, on a local level, starting bands will bring in more people … that all leads back to Athens.”
