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The Latest Scoop at News Cafe
Concert at Pawtucket Bar Features Many PC Students
Jack Downey ’23
Last Thursday, there was a small concert held at one of Rhode Island’s most distinctive venues, News Cafe. Located a few freeway exits away from The Met, this bar is a beloved spot for local bands and has featured acts from around the world. However, despite its rich history, few Providence College students knew about it. Everything changed last week.
The bill for the night consisted of The Keegan Turner Band, who played on WDOM’s Tune In on October 28; Party Mountain, a pop punk band from Massachusetts; and Jack Wilmot and Co., a PC-based group that took The Met by storm on October 6. At first, interest in the concert was low, especially after the original lineup fell through, but as the date approached, more and more buzz began to grow until it was clear that there would be a decent crowd for the event.
Kicking off the night at 8:30 was The Keegan Turner Band. The members of this group include computer students Jack Downey ’23 on bass and Colin McNamara ’25 on guitar, along with the titular Keegan Turner on guitar and vocals, and Dennis Chadwick on drums. Their set at News Cafe was special because it consisted entirely of unreleased material. As they planned to record a ten-track album this past weekend, the band decided to go through all the songs in front of a live audience to gauge the reaction to each one and work out any potential issues. .
The Keegan Turner Band tore through their set with confidence despite several of the songs never having been played in front of a live audience. Certain songs, such as the doo-wop inspired ballad “Mrs. Sandman,” received a notable amount of praise from those in attendance, while the band clearly had a good time playing songs like the massive crescendo of closer, “Bethany.” The band played like a well-oiled machine, and anticipation for the currently untitled album is sure to be much higher after the show.
After them came Party Mountain. Although there were no members of the PC community in that group, they continued to move the monks in the crowd with their high energy songs and cheerful stage presence. There was quite a lot of musical talent, with each member’s playing fitting together seamlessly like a sonic puzzle. Sometimes, three of the members exchanged instruments, but this did not hinder the quality of the performance. Their music, which had elements of Blink-182, Foo Fighters, and even ska at one point, had their dedicated fans dancing across the floor and more casual fans at least nodding along.
Finally, Jack Wilmot and Co. took the stage. By that point, the venue was packed, with a sea of computer students crowding in front of where the group stood. With Jack Wilmot ’24 on vocals, the band behind him consisted of Ryan Peduto ’25 on lead guitar, Alex Rhezak ’23 on rhythm guitar, Brendan Greene ’23 on drums, and newest member Ava Dobski ’25 on bass. The band kicked things off with a cover of Declan McKenna’s “Brazil”. They then worked through a mix of fan favorites such as “Free Fallin'” by Tom Petty and “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer, as well as modern alt-rock hits such as “Kilby Girl” by The Backseat Lovers and Mt. “Sheep” by Joy. For some of those songs, Wilmot was joined on vocals by his friend Daniel Ruse ’24, who helped hype up the crowd even more. The amount of support for Wilmot and his band was massive, and it led to the final set of the night being an incredibly enjoyable experience.
When the concert ended, people either left the venue or stayed at the bar a little longer. Either way, it was a very fun gig, and hopefully there will be another show at News Cafe soon.
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