The Shinnery Review sponsored a free concert featuring Seryn, Paste Magazine’s No. 1 band from the South By Southwest music festival at Monks on Tuesday.
Tanner Hadfield, senior English major from Abilene; David McMichael, senior English major from Abilene and Bethany Bradshaw, senior English major from Henderson, co-chaired The Shinnery Review and decided to conduct the show with the organization’s leftover money.
“We had our visiting author cancel on the day she was supposed to be here,” Hadfield said. “We didn’t have enough time to find another author, so we decided to use the money to put on a free concert for the students.”
McMichael said he had attempted to bring Seryn to a Wishing Well event earlier this semester, and the co-chairs were excited for the opportunity to bring the band to an Abilene audience.
“I knew that Seryn’s live show was awesome,” Hadfield said. “I thought that pretty much anybody could dig it, not just a few certain people.”
Annika Ringle, senior art major from Springdale, Ark., saw Seryn perform at South By Southwest and said she was excited to see them again.
“Their South By Southwest show was great, but I loved getting a chance to see them in a more intimate setting,” Ringle said.
The show also included performances by local talent such as Colton Owlsey, senior music major from Naples, Fla., and Blinded by Bears.
“The goal of The Shinnery is to showcase local talent through art and the written word,” McMichael said. “We like to do the same by bringing in local musicians to these shows.”
In addition to this concert, The Shinnery also has sponsored multiple open mic nights, poetry readings, and artistic workshops this year.
“We really want to get people excited and passionate about the arts in addition to providing students an outlet for creativity,” McMichael said. “Creativity is sometimes sparked by going to events and seeing what this work can be at its best.”
Hadfield urges students to get involved and support artistic groups and events like this one.
“I care about the local art scene a lot, and I think that ACU is a big part of that scene,” Hadfield said. “There is a lot money out there to support stuff like this if you are willing to go find it. Free events like this can benefit everybody.”
