Fish ‘N Chips logo Tim Brazel
SXU’s commercial band Fish ‘N’ Chips will be playing their last show of the semester, “Fish ‘N Chips Live” in McGuire Hall on Friday, Nov. 17.
The show will be a part of the Fall 2023 Concert Series, which began with Jazz Night I on Oct. 13, and has gone on to include performances from the Wind Ensemble and Woodwind Studio.
Admission will be free for SXU students, staff, faculty, and prospective students. For anyone else, general admission will be six dollars and five dollars for seniors, as well as veterans and active duty military.
The band will be playing a number of rock hits, including “Rush” by Tom Sawyer, “Rebel, Rebel” by David Bowie, and “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore.
Fish ‘N Chips also plays modern songs in a variety of genres, ranging from punk rock and hip-hop, to funk and jazz.
Among the band will be Ladarius Boyland, and Stevie Beilke on drums, Tim Brazel and Tony Lopez on guitar, Chris Habrelewicz on drums and vocals, Kevin Dryer on vocals, saxophone, and rain-stick, Gianna Ring on keyboard and vocals, Nick Vasaitas on drums, percussion, and vocals, David Leonard on bass, Laura Blachowicz on clarinet, Valerie Dupont on bass and vocals, Jessica Ziemann, and Jordan Stout on vocals, Aidan Harling on vocals and drums, Brian Wierzgac on guitar and vocals, David Bravo on vocals and percussion.
When asked what instruments the band uses, band organizer and director of Jazz Studies and Shawn Salmon D.A. said, “As you can see from the roster, what don’t we use?”.
The fullness of the band has lent to their success in the SXU community. Their shows always draw large crowds, and get great audience engagement.
Fish ‘N’ Chips formed last year in the Fall 2022 semester, playing songs from artists such as The Beatles, David Bowie, and The Strokes. The band was created to “teach students how to become a band that performs contemporary music” as well as how to operate a sound board and mix audio.
They debuted with a diner show on Dec 1, 2022, and have done several shows since.
The group is student-led, with Salmon (a.k.a. Fish) acting more as an advisor than a director. The members of Fish ‘N’ Chips choose what they play by voting, giving them the chance to express their musical passions in a personal way, and learn their parts in theri spare time.
Even the rehearsals are student-led, helping the band members get comfortable with independence and leadership.
The band last performed on Oct. 5 in The Diner’s Atrium as a part of SXU’s homecoming celebration. There, the band drew a large crowd and played a show full of familiar hits.
Fish ‘N Chips kept the Atrium crowd engaged, giving out stickers with their logo and playing trivia games between songs.
The concert series will continue into early Dec., with a performance by the University Chorale and Chamber Ensemble on Nov. 19 and 20.
A second Jazz Night will take place on Dec. 1, as well as a Christmas Spectacular and Piano Showcase on Dec. 3rd to serve as a finale.
While the band didn’t share any definite plans for the future, they did state that next semester will have a “New set of songs, and new members as well,”. They will also play at volleyball games in the spring, allowing students to enjoy their music more often.
To join the band, one must register for the Commercial Ensemble (Music-250) course, and audition with their instrument of choice. Or, they could contact Salmon directly about joining Fish ‘N Chips.
Salmon noted that Fish ‘N’ chips is “Open to any and all students that have a background in music.” The band meets Thursdays at 5pm, and earn one credit towards a fine art elective.
The band is looking for students with “upper-intermediate to advanced level proficiency” in musical ability, and a passion for playing music.