Fruition and Gin Mill Hollow Rock at the Encore
Fruition playing a great show at the Encore. Photo by Nomin Erdenebileg

Fruition and Gin Mill Hollow Rock at the Encore

Mandolin, guitar and a little bit of electricity created folkie tunes brought to campus Thursday night by Gin Mill Hollow and Fruition.

The opening band, Gin Mill Hollow is an acoustic folk rock trio out of Madison.

Marc Norman, songwriter, guitarist, double bassist and vocalist for Gin Mill Hollow, is quite familiar with the university, having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2002.

Lively audience getting their groove on. Photo by Nomin Erdenebileg

Lively audience getting their groove on. Photo by Nomin Erdenebileg

Their melodic yet driving sound set the tone for the evening’s performances, allowing the audience to bob their heads and tap their feet to the music.

The show picked up speed and momentum as the night wore on, yielding more people out on the dance floor.

“This is a beautiful love song by Dan Plourde because he loves you guys,” Joshua Guidice, Gin Mill Hollow mandolin player, said of his bandmate before they played the opening song from their Love Is King album, “Prescription for Love.”

The interval between acts was filled with chatter and The Beatles’ music playing over the room.

Ben Majeska, concerts coordinator for Centertainment Productions, then welcomed Fruition to the stage.

“Fruition is probably one of the top bluegrass bands touring nationally right now,” Majeska said. “It’s a really big deal that they’re playing at a small-scale venue like this. It’s a big show for the Encore.”

The five-person band had an immediate presence on stage.

The website of the band from Portland describes their sound as a mix of “soul, blues and British invasion era pop.”

Senior Grant Wala enjoying one of his favorite bands with Paige La Joice during his last semester in Point. Photo by Nomin Erdenebileg

Senior Grant Wala enjoying one of his favorite bands with Paige La Joice during his last semester in Point. Photo by Nomin Erdenebileg

Fruition brought a powerful sound with music similar to Gin Mill Hollow, but with an extra punch of rock.

The band has played twice at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

“If you’ve played there, you’ve made it,” Majeska said. “They’re the first band that has played at Red Rocks and come here. That’s my favorite thing about this show. It’s a pretty big deal.”

Najah Alboushi, a continuing student studying art, attended Thursday night’s show.

“I came with a friend, but the band is pretty good and the music is fun,” Alboushi said. “Centertainment does a good job of bringing in cool and fun bands.”

Centertainment provided a unique opportunity for a headlining band to come to campus.

“They’re only growing bigger and getting more popular,” Majeska said. “They’re one of those bands that, in a few years, you’ll never see a five dollar show like this.”

 

Kathryn Wisniewski

Reporter

kathryn.e.wisniewski@uwsp.edu

About pointer

Avatar

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*