Occidental’s annual SpringFest concert featured headliner Joey Valence & Brae, with student openers Aitan Milman (sophomore) and Hannah Fortvne (senior), April 4 at Remsen Bird Hillside Theater. The event was hosted by KOXY, Occidental’s student-run radio station.
Milman, one of the opening acts, said he loved the spirit of the crowd and the other performers.
According to Milman, he heard Fortvne’s first set while getting ready for his own performance backstage. Milman said he heard her second set, as well as the headlining performance, as a member of the crowd.
“Joey Valence & Brae brought a lot of energy,” Milman said. “They were hyped.”
Milman said he loved the chance to perform at Occidental’s biggest musical event.
“It felt really cool performing at SpringFest,” Milman said. “To be able to perform on that stage, with that platform, in front of Oxy.”
Milman said he has been making music his whole life and began pursuing it seriously in high school. According to Milman, he released his first song when he turned 15 and Occidental’s strong music department motivated him to attend the college.
“One of the main reasons I chose Oxy was the program they had with the music production major,” Milman said. “It was exactly what I was looking for.”
Molly Malin, an event director for SpringFest at KOXY, said it is the biggest event KOXY puts on every year.
“I worked on booking starting in August,” Malin said. “We got our artists, and then we put the show together, which means working with other campus groups to get our venue settled, get student openers ready, connect with our community and promote it.”
According to Malin, choosing a headlining artist involves thinking of who will bring out the crowd’s energy, even if not all students are familiar with the artist.
“’What’s a high-energy, festival-type act that we could bring?’” Malin said. “So that even if people don’t know them, they would get up and dance to this kind of music. That was my vision when I picked Joey Valence & Brae.”
Maddie Thorpe (senior), promotions director at KOXY, said envisioning a specific look for SpringFest’s promotional materials, including posters and social media materials, involved taking inspiration from Joey Valence & Brae’s branding.
“They have a lot of ’90s style, which we were inspired by,” Thorpe said. “We were trying to do a ’90s basement type of poster, and then our graphic designer Ruby [King] made it more beachy, which I think is really cool.”
According to Thorpe, promotional materials are designed to appeal to all students regardless of their familiarity with the headlining act.
“We wanted to just make it seem like a very fun party with the whole campus community,” Thorpe said.
Malin said her position involves communicating with the headliners’ manager, photographers and safety teams in preparation for the event.
“I’ve been chatting with [Joey Valence & Brae’s] manager and making sure they’re ready to hit the ground,” Malin said prior to the event. “It seems like they’re very excited to be at Oxy.”
According to Malin, student openers are selected to complement the headliner.
“They’re well-loved by Oxy students,” Malin said. “They’re going to bring that same upbeat energy.”
According to Milman, it has been easy to organically meet artistic collaborators at Occidental.
“I met a lot of people through classes and through being able to perform at Oxy,” Milman said. “It’s all about reaching out to the right people and knowing who to talk to in different situations.”
Milman said he practices for performances by running through his set the week before, but ensures he does not overthink the process.
“I’m always gonna get nervous before I perform, but as soon as I step on the stage, I snap into a different zone,” Milman said. “I just let it happen.”
Milman said his favorite part of performing is the connection he forms with the crowd, especially when they are excited for his music. At SpringFest, Milman performed both previously released and unreleased songs to cheers from the crowd.
“When the crowd is singing your songs, it’s definitely one of the best feelings,” Milman said. “Or doing call and response, getting the reactions from the crowd, especially when I’m playing new music.”
Contact Diana Trutia at trutia@oxy.edu
