Welcoming musicians, music lovers or people just looking for something fun to do; NKUs Norse Code Radio (NCR) is preparing for its returning student showcase Live at the Loch. However, unlike the prior years the deadline for musical acts is rapidly approaching. The cut off for this year’s event will be Sept. 14.
“Live at Loch is a student music festival, so NKU students can bring their bands or be solo performers as well,” Joseph Gallucci, NCR’s general manager said. .
“You are supporting student[s]. . .meaning we are a lot more open with who we have,” he said.
Gallucci said the showcase is separate from NKU’s School of The Arts. Students who are interested in performing can sign up through the Google Form linked to the QR code on flyers posted around campus or through the NCR’s Instagram account , @NCRNKU.
NCR’s program director and former performer Noah Wheelock said “ I hope that this is the biggest line up and that we have a diverse line of bands.”
But what exactly makes this year’s Live at the Lock different from the previous years, beyond the earlier date, is that Student Affairs is getting involved, inviting potential students as well as current ones.
Brandon Thompson, vice president of Student Affairs said, “So one of the big things we talked about with this is that it is a student event, so we want students to see this as an opportunity for them to do a couple of different things. The opportunity for them to listen to good music first and foremost. . .but also to turn the area around the Loch in the Plaza into a place to just hangout for the day and to bring activities.”
The goal is to expand the audience while possibly recruiting new faces to join the NKU community, according to Dr. Ryan Padgett, chief strategic enrollment officer.
“It was a conversation that we had. What if we moved this to a Wednesday in the middle of what is arguably the busiest day of the week on campus, in the heart of the day?” he said.
The concert, hosted each semester by NCR, is usually an all-day affair. But Padgett says current and potential students won’t have to commit for the full time.
“We want students to stop by for any time, if it is five hours or five minutes,” he said.
Padgett approached NCR about widening the scope of the concert. Thompson is part of the organizing effort.
“It opens the doors for us to see the possibilities and how we can take events on campus and modify them to make them more accessible to a variety of pockets of students…it is opening an event for prospective students, student organizations and musicians,” Thompson said.
For student performers who might have anxieties about being on stage, Wheelock said, “ It is a very supportive environment, nobody there is going to laugh at you if you mess up. . .the people who are running it, we are very supportive, we are very happy you are performing in the first place.”
Gallucci shared a story about his first year and how he and other performers went for ice cream after the event.
“If you are scared at all, you will meet good friends,” he said
Both Norse Code Radio and Student Affairs welcome and encourage all to participate and enjoy the event by listening to music, having picnics or even bringing games. Live of the Loch is scheduled for Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the amphitheater.