Local bands take to the stage at May Day Festival

The amplified music of electric guitars, rapidly beaten drums and energetic singers welcomed May with steady rhythms as their sounds echoed throughout the northeast part of campus. Their cries were the tell tale sign that Saturday's May Day Festival was in full swing.

Performing throughout the day were a mix of bands, including Old Crow and the 45's, Against All Gravity, Project Mayhem and the Deathcard Basics, Red Sky Mary and the Fifth Band Trio. With the exception of Against All Gravity, whose members came from a local high school, all of the bands featured members from UNH.

Behind the stage, Owen Kennett could be seen directing band members and moving their equipment on and off the stage. Kennett was in charge of the bands, which he had recruited for the festival to play pro bono. He wanted to give them a chance to shine.
"I think it's good for UNH students to be aware of the music around here, instead of outsourcing all of our music," he said.

The May Day Festival was paid for with the Student Activities Fee and was put together by a committee mostly made up of Campus Activitites Board members, such as Kennett.
While this year's performances were almost exclusively local, Kennett doesn't object to out of town bands.  He just wanted the festival to be centered on local music.

"I just want the ratio tipped a little in their favor," Kennett said.

All the bands seemed appreciative to have the limelight.

Mike Curley, lead singer of Project Mayhem and the Deathcard Basics, said it was a great experience.

"This is my first time performing my own music," he said. "It was nerve racking, honestly."
Curley, a junior, is also working on a solo project.

"This is the first time I've ever sat down and ever written anything," Curley said, in regard to the project. His concept album, "As Evidence," can be found at asevidence.bandcamp.com.

Although both Project Mayhem and the Deathcard Basics and Against All Gravity's performances were debuts, most of the bands that performed, like Red Sky Mary, formerly known as The Remedy, had plenty of experience.

Red Sky Mary, which consists of Barrett Goeman, Mike Kalempa, Tom Broise and Sam Vlasich, gave a very energetic show as the day slowly became night.

The band's members have been together for a year, mostly performing at charity concerts and private events. Broise, a sophomore, met Kennet at the The Grind, an open Mic night that is held once a month at the Memorial Union Building.

Red Sky Mary's singles: "Heart of Stone," "Still Standing" and "Let Down Your Hair," feature classic rhythms similar to bands such as AC/DC. However, their lyrics and music are completely original. 

"We're a regular rock band trying to bring back hardcore music," Sam Vlasich, lead singer of the band, said. "What you see is what you get."

They plan on releasing their first album sometime next year. Their singles can be found at myspace.com/redskymary.

The band will also be performing at the Dover Brick House on May 26, and they said that they can't wait, though they were just as pleased to perform at the May Day Festival.

"Someone said the best they've ever heard [us] was tonight," Vlasich said. "I take that as a compliment."