By Matt SpectorThe Daily Northwestern
Hey Northwestern – are you ready to rock?
On Friday, NU’s premier jam-rock band Mind at Large will perform a free show at the Keg, 810 Grove St, at 9 PM to celebrate the release of their newest EP. They’re looking to take on South Campus with their unique feel and cross-genre appeal. The band will offer free copies of their EP to the first 100 attendees.
Jon Hecht, a Medill sophomore and the band’s manager, promised that the show will be a thrill for both the band members and the audience.
“There are surprises at every concert,” he said. “There’s always something new at every show to look forward to.”
Lead guitarist Evan Sameroff, a Weinberg sophomore, said that in addition to the songs on their EP, the band will play newer material as well. During each show they try to do something outside of their familiar repertoire to keep things “fresh,” he said.
The band chose the Keg to debut their EP because of the site’s accessibility and familiarity to fans and non-fans, Sameroff said.
“It is one of the best venues for our band in terms of our personality and our fans,” said bassist Elliott Higgins, a Weinberg sophomore.
Drummer Alec Zopf, a McCormick junior, praised the Keg’s lighting and sound system.
The members of Mind at Large hope freshmen will attend the show and that their fan base will increase.
“This is an expansion show as well as a CD release,” Higgins said, “We’re trying to grow a kick ass rock band.”
Sameroff said they want to make this show “huge.”
“We want this performance to set the standard,” he said.
Hecht said he doesn’t want the band to be limited to a certain fan base. There is no age limit to who can enjoy their music, he said.
Vocalist/Guitarist Peter Bartleson, a Communication junior, said that the more exposure the band has in the NU community as well as in Evanston, the more they can develop a solid, loyal fan base.
Zopf said he sees this concert as another stage in the evolution of Mind at Large.
“We’re developing as friends and musicians by understanding how each other plays.” Zopf said, “Our music’s tied to our personal lives.”
Bartleson added that the members of Mind at Large have matured as a band and as people and that it is coming out through their music.
“We’ve tried to turn ourselves more into songwriters,” said keyboardist Jack Pelzer, a Weinberg sophomore.
Each song is a mixture of the combined talents and interests of the six members of Mind at Large and their manager, Zopf said.
“We all come in with our own ideas for songs,” Sameroff said, “If you go to the show you’re going to hear hard rock and jam stuff.”
The members of Mind at Large hope this concert will propel them into the Chicago music scene and beyond.
Hecht said that he knows the band has “something great to offer.”
“The energy they bring to their shows, whether it’s playing songs, offstage energy, or connecting with the crowd, it’s unbelievable,” he said.
Reach Matt Spector at [email protected].
