Rock, rap, DJ’s, and electronic dance music, sometimes separate but more often fused together, all on one Thursday night at Milk Bar. On September 8th Milk Bar hosted its monthly “College Night,” presented by USF student Chad Heimann. Packed consistently for close to four hours from the stage in the back all the way to the entrance, Milk Bar, a lounge space and music venue located on Haight Street, hosted a great event with an eclectic lineup of performers.
Starting the night off was USF student and KUSF DJ Chet Bentley spinning vinyl under the moniker Brother Bentley. At 10 PM, San Francisco State band Horrorscopes took the stage, playing a set of catchy, indie-inspired dance songs featuring double synths and pop choruses that brought the crowd onto the dance floor.
To have a hip-hop act follow an indie pop group might seem like too immediate of a shift in genre, but Half Black’s hip-hop is rooted in a wide range of different sounds and influences that made the change seamless. This was Half Black’s, USF’s Jerry Sypkens’, first show and served as the release party for his first full-length album, which he played almost in its entirety. Half Black performed a dynamic and memorable show, featuring several guests on stage, from hype man, beat maker, and rapper Frank Bear to USF’s Hayley Zuercher on vocals for a grooving mid-tempo song, to USF’s Todd Andersen of Plastic Villains on vocals and electric guitar for an epic hard rock/rap fusion. Half Black got the crowd of college students and young-at-hearts going, and there was no letting up until the conclusion of the show.
DJ Chad Salty, Chad Heimann, then took the stage full force and played a wide range of songs- mainstream and indie, old-school and new, all linked together in their shared ability to keep heads bashing and feet off the ground. Immediately after, the DJ duo Realboy from SF State took the stage and performed a collection of house remixes and original tracks until close to two in the morning.
Milk Bar’s first “College Night” of the semester, a success, provided a diverse sample of some of San Francisco’s promising, young creative minds. Future “College Nights” at Milk Bar are certain to do the same by continuing to book young acts that do more. According to the promoter, the next event will be held October 13th and will be themed after that weekend’s Treasure Island Music Festival. A pair of tickets to the festival will also be given away to some lucky fans in attendance.
