By CIAN McKEOWN
Two bands nearly sent the gazebo roof popping off its pillars when they took the stage last Saturday evening. The second annual Gazfest proved to be a rousing success, with an initial gaggle of Beloiters turning into a thick and raucous crowd. Event organizer and member of the co-headlining band Toad Hollow, Micah Wylk ‘25, says, “The way we keep this going is by not being afraid to get up and play outside like this, or book a night at C Haus.” Micah also says that opportunities for live music like C Haus were one of the reasons he came to Beloit, and adds that it is crucial to keep this tradition alive.
The night began with Rockford’s own SuperBrick, favorites at C Haus last semester. The band slammed and wailed through a well-rehearsed set that showcased their hazy and thick indie sound with a biting rock edge. SuperBrick had the crowd jumping and jamming along with the fun playfulness of a bar band mixed with seasoned musicianship. Lead Guitarist Kyle Roberts originally started playing blues guitar in Memphis, saying that “That’s my main influence, that blues-soul kind of music.”
Rhythm guitarist Brandon Anderson says he draws from “a lot of nineties and two-thousands emo rock. American Football, Sunny Day Real Estate, stuff like that.” Going on to say that “A lot of the riffs that we’ve been coming up with lately really incorporate that sound. As well as using things like open tuning to really manipulate the songs.”
Describing the band’s songwriting process, bassist and lead vocalist Bethany Fichthorn states, “It does kind of start with a lot of jams sometimes. But in the early days, Kyle did most of the writing, music-wise, and we all got together and worked on lyrics. And then Brandon joined the band last year, and he just always has a new riff to work on in practice.” SuperBrick concluded their energetic set full of originals with an ethereally sludged-up cover of the Smashing Pumpkins “Today.”
When the sun had fully dipped below the Rock River and a smattering of stars had shown themselves, the second band of the evening, Toad Hollow(pictured above), took the stage. With Micah Wylk ‘25 on drums and vocals, Milo Froese ‘25 on bass, and Evan Dodds on guitar and vocals. Toad Hollow sped and thrashed through a set full of sludgy grunge, hard rock, and blues with plenty of inspired shredding by Dodds. These included classic tracks by Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, Green Day, The Strokes, and Weezer. Dodds and bassist Froese have been playing music together since they’re formative years, informing their styles. Says Dodds, “The time that we’ve had to feed off each other’s musical instincts. That definitely helps out a lot because we can improvise.”
Gazfest was a hit with attendees as well, with Frank Sharp-Hooten ‘26 saying, “I hadn’t been out in a while, it was refreshing.” Frank responded with a resounding yes when asked if music should be brought back to campus more often. SuperBrick will be performing next in Madison. Toad Hollow’s 2021 self-titled album is available to stream on Spotify.
Featured Image: Cian McKeown’27
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