Student Band Performs in Tilles Center Atrium

The student band Fox Hollow was among the performers at the Music Industry Club’s first Saturday Sounds At Tilles Center on Saturday, Jan. 21 in the Tilles Center Atrium. Michaella Bowne, the Vice President of the Music Industry Club, said this concert “was part of a new series at Tilles meant to appeal to students with student and local performers.” The night also included performances by indie rock bands Figure Eight, RoswellDebacle, and Grayling, emo bands based near New York. Grayling is from Philadelphia, RoswellDebacle is based in New Jersey, and Figure Eight is based in Syosset.

After performances by Figure Eight and RoswellDebacle, Philadelphia native Lexi Campion stepped on stage as the only member of Grayling at the show. As the organizers of the event, Fox Hollow invited each band to perform at the concert. Mike Themistocleous, a senior film major and lead singer of Fox Hollow, invited Campion after seeing her open for Julien Baker and her band Forrister last Sept. at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Campion was alone for this performance, although she is usually joined by the other members of her band. Despite being alone on stage, Campion was not deterred, as she put on a powerful performance for the audience between singing and playing all of the verses on the guitar. Campion was very calm, despite stepping on stage only minutes after arriving late to the concert. During her performance, multiple audience members stepped up to the stage and stood in silence, completely focused on her singing. All of the songs Campion played were new and are not on her latest album, “Everything That Burns,” which was released on April 15, 2016. After Campion’s five songs, Fox Hollow took the stage.

Fox Hollow a band of four college students, includes two Post students, Themistocleous and Daniel Delucia, a senior music major. Joseph Oliveto, a junior business major at SUNY Old Westbury and Christ Swift, a junior at Queens College, are the other members. Themistocleous was energetic from the start and urged the audience to step right up to the stage like at a rock concert. He ran out into the crowd of 60 several times to give hugs and take pictures. His enthusiasm spread to the other members of the band, as they seemed to improve with each song. After the show, Themistocleous said that the band performs a ritual before each show to ensure that they remain at a high energy level. “We all get together and say ‘energy’ to each other over and over again and then we rapidly fire back and forth the set list for the night to each other.”

Fox Hollow received a standing ovation from the crowd and was called back on stage to perform one last song. This curtain call gave Fox Hollow a new life, resulting in their best song of the night. Themistocleous brought the audience on stage, leaving few people in the crowd at the end of the set. Before playing at this concert, Fox Hollow had performed a two-week tour, in Tennessee, Virginia, Boston, and Washington D.C. Themistocleous said the tour was the “greatest experience,” even though they had a previous, small tour in Sept. to Binghamton, New York.

Last May, Fox Hollow performed at a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital benefit show at a Bethpage bar called Mr. Beerys. Themistocleous would like to see the band continue to take part in fundraisers for different causes.

The Music Industry Club promotes local musicians both on and off campus and runs several events throughout the year, including a singing competition called Phenomenon and a music festival called MIC Fest. The Jan. 21 concert raised $200, all of which was donated to Planned Parenthood. The next concert will take place on Thursday, Feb. 23.