The bands Poke, Buster Blue and the Shook Twins performed varieties of up-beat folk music for a small mixed audience of students, adults and children during this past Thursday’s homecoming concert. With the sun out and the amps turned up, students said they enjoyed the multi-talented performances and it was a good show.
Local band Poke opened with Idaho-themed country inspired folk songs including “Huckleberry Pickn’”, “Truckn’” and “Hungover”.
Nate Wilder, freshman education major, said he enjoyed what Poke brought to the stage.
“I loved it,” Wilder said. “I liked their instrumentation. They were very up-beat.”
Poke’s up-beat take on country-themed music had people of all ages tapping their feet to the beat.
Lead guitarist/vocalist B-Rad said this was Poke’s first time performing in the Amphitheater, and they enjoyed entertaining the crowd.
“It was fun,” B-Rad said. “I wore my black uniform for spirit (for the blackout homecoming game on Saturday). We had a great time.”
Following Poke was the Reno-based band Buster Blue with lively rock-folk music which had the audience nodding their heads and clapping their hands.
Buster Blue included a wide range of instruments in their performance, from traditional instruments like electric guitars and a base to a bari-sax, trombone and chains. Students have described Buster Blue to be unique and well-versed in a variety of sounds. Wilder said he really enjoyed the addition of these more unique instruments and the combination of marching band and traditional folk instruments.
Buster Blue has performed in other Boise venues prior to this concert, and members of the band said they enjoy visiting Boise.
Rachael Elhiney, bari-sax player/other instruments/vocalist said the band always feels welcome in Boise.
“This was really nice,” Elhiney said. “I liked that it was possible for people to drop in. We love it out here. It feels like family when we meet people here.”
The Shook Twins closed the concert with a different take on folk music. The Shook Twins emulated trance like hippie-themed vibes through their performance which inspired audience members to sway to the music.
Like Buster Blue, the Shook Twins included some unique instruments in their performance, including a voice altering microphone and a large golden egg shaker. Shook Twin Katelyn Shook said these aspects are incorporated to bring something unique to their performances.
“Our ultimate goal is to not sound like anyone else; that’s the key to keeping it fresh,” Katelyn Shook said.
Students said they enjoyed this aspect of the Shook Twins Performance. Christine Raininger, senior environmental studies major, said she particularly enjoyed these two variants.
“Their silver microphone was fantastical and the egg was a curious surprise,” Raininger said. “I wonder if the unborn ostrich in the egg that makes their music so great.”
Overall, students and event coordinators said this Homecoming concert was enjoyable and had positive impact. Student Union Fine Arts Program Coordinator Amy Rajkovich said she was pleased with the concert and heard positive feedback from the audience despite the small numbers in attendance.
“I thought it was awesome,” Rajkovich said. “It was a good turnout, for it being a different time frame (as opposed to the prior 12 to 2 p.m. Student Union Performance Series performances). I think everyone had a good time. I had community members come tell me they were grateful for us bringing music to campus.”
For more Student Union Performance Series performances visit the Student Union Fine Arts Facebook page.
