The Culture of "Bandcamp"

Photo by Amy Suh

Another iteration of the Santa Clara University classic, Bandcamp—hosted by The Stereo Underground—happened Nov. 8 with more than 300 students in attendance. While Bandcamp has taken place for the last couple years, many students are still unaware of this tradition. The event, taking place at a student house, is a free, private concert just for Santa Clara University students, highlighting fresh student bands.

The explosion of student bands on campus has enhanced the music culture at the University immensely in the past couple years. Bands, such as One Million Beers, have gained significant popularity over the past year and have played shows across campus, such as the KSCU on-campus event, Sonic Bloom, last spring. KSCU, the student-staffed radio station, encourages students' unique music tastes to be heard and shared, and also creates a space for students to explore their own musical interest. Since the KSCU event, they have played at the Forge Garden, the Bronco, and other venues around campus.

Bandcamp, a product of student group The Stereo Underground, takes place at Basecamp, a house with a beautiful backyard and perfect patio for a concert. The Studio Underground is "composed of passionate individuals who love to support Santa Clara bands, and more underground music, like non-mainstream music," said Joey Hernandez Mena, a member of the group. It happens a couple times every year, with the club selecting a few bands to play in a concert ambiance for the students of Santa Clara to enjoy. 

Photo by Amy Suh

Another party with similar plans took place the same night, hosted by the fraternity Cal Phi. Three bands played, showing the volume of active student bands wanting to perform, considering that there was not one, but two parties dedicated to this demand. 

Other Bandcamp favorites include Solace and Pluie, both back for another set this weekend. A new band, Tabby's Dream, also opened for the event. The band came up from the crowd building in front of the stage, making for quite the entrance, and performed both originals and covers. 

Keep an eye out for the next Bandcamp event on Instagram @stereo.undrgrnd.