New London hosted its eighth annual free independent arts and music festival in five locations downtown on September 6. Bridging the gap between campus and the city, Conn students Maya Belgrade ’15 and Haley Gowland ’17 opened up the stage at The Telegraph and Hygienic Art Park.
I hopped in the car midday with music major Maya Belgrade. With an acoustic guitar in hand, she was one of the first performers of the day. Maya has been singing and writing since her childhood, from L.A. to Tokyo – no, just kidding, from her birthplace, Tokyo, to San Francisco. After a delicious and satisfying breakfast at Washington Street Coffee House, we walked over to The Telegraph, a record store, for Maya’s 1p.m. slot. She serenaded the vinyl-browsing customers with melodic vocals and rhythmic finger picking, playing entirely original music. True musical passion could be felt in the air of the room. The audience erupted with laughter during the performance of Maya’s sweet sounding song “I Loved You A Second Ago” which continued with the lyric “but now I hate you so much.” “I was excited to receive laughter here. My close friends know the song, so they too were excited for me,” Maya said. The Telegraph welcomed five musicians, and at the end of the day, the final artist shared his pride to have been amongst a group of such great talent. “After I performed, I got so happy and hyper. I was reminded of how much I enjoy it, and that it’s something I want to continue,” Maya said.
You may know Haley Gowland from the popular MOBROC band Canopy or the all-female a capella group ConnChords. On this occasion, she was rocking out with the indie alternative Boston area based band, The Cranks. Her twin brother, Connor, from University of Rhode Island, and their energetic bassist and vocalist, Alex Markoski from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, accompanied her vocally. Musical talent runs in the Gowland family. The Gowlands’ father played in a band, and with equipment accessible, they began to jam in their basement with Alex, with whom they have recorded three albums. The Cranks have since been described as, “Paramore marries Guster, has an affair with the Strokes, and a secret family with the Pretenders,” and, impressively, the group recently played second stage for Paramore and Fall Out Boy at Meadowbrook Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire.
From the start of The Cranks’ set at Hygienic Art Park, chemistry was made evident both their vocals and their enthusiasm onstage. Gowland connected with the audience and especially the Camels when she introduced “I’ll Never Learn” with a grin. “This is actually [President] Katherine Bergeron’s favorite song, so now it’s my favorite song,” she said. The group mostly performed songs off of their most recent original album Orange with a smattering of crowd-pleasing covers, including Weezer’s “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” and “Jenny” by Walk the Moon. Upon receiving a request from the audience for their original song “Fishbowl” off Orange, drummer Connor joked around and then started his signature rhythmic drumstick move.
In the midst of the entertainment of our peers, I AM Festival offered other local bands. Coming from that other Connecticut city, New Haven, the pop folksy Goodnight Blue Moon enlivened the main stage at Parade Plaza with their assortment of string instruments. Toddlers and older women alike danced without a care in the plaza, creating an amusing spectacle.
The festivalgoers were fortunate to have the beautiful, sunny Saturday, but when humidity became overwhelming, the New London Whale Tail Fountain was extremely inviting for splashing friends and cooling off. Passersby walking around downtown were attracted to the yodeling of Connecticut College alumni The Can Kickers. The Telegraph turned out to be an excellent reprieve from the heat as well, with soothing acoustic music from the native Mainer, Dan Blakeslee and Sam Perduta of Elison Jackson, a band based in New Haven.
I AM Festival appealed to all ages. As night fell, Oasis Pub and 33 Golden opened and welcomed 11 artists. The 21 and older crowd arrived and danced to the independent music. The final band of the festival, The So So Glos, performed at the main stage in Parade Plaza for a unique spectator experience. The crowd unified as the lead singer encouraged a mass “to be seated,” until everyone rose again and clapped to the beat of the drums. Everyone should look forward to the ninth I AM Festival next fall! •
