By Maya Liquigan

February 8, 2025

Heavy rock music filled the lobby of Columbia’s Music Center, on Friday, Feb. 8, as a full audience in The Concert Hall celebrated the past seven decades of the rock and roll genre, showcased by students and alumni.

Rock and Roll Productions, a student-led club at Columbia, hosted the second show in the series “An Incomplete Journey Through Rock and Roll” with 33 performers playing live covers of staple rock and roll tunes. The setlist started with songs from the 50s, and included a few favorites from each decade until current time. 

Claire Hanam, co-president of Rock and Roll Productions, first started the club two years ago to build up the rock community in Columbia after transferring from another school. 

“I didn’t really feel like there was much of a zone for this type of music in the curriculum of the music program,” said Hanam,  a senior contemporary jazz and performance major.

Hanam said that the best part about organizing the production was being able to create a safe space for the members who admire the genre. She also said that she was excited to revive rock music, since it is not as popular in mainstream media. 

Logan "Titus" Driver, sophomore contemporary, jazz, and popular music major, sings to the crowd at Rock and Roll Productions event at The Concert Hall in Columbia's Music Center on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

The setlist began with hits from the 50s with more jazz and blues influences that the rock and roll genre originated from, including songs by artists LaVern Baker, Wanda Jackson and Howlin’ Wolf. The student performers piled onto the stage, swaying under the bright spotlight as the hall continued to fill with attendees throughout the night. 

The night started slower with calm, upbeat saxophone solos and soft accompanied piano. Emma Ockerman, a junior ASL major, appreciated seeing the diversity and development of the rock and roll genre throughout different decades. 

“I think music comes out of place from the time, whether that’s political or emotional,” she said. “I think it’s really important to honor the culture and situations that music was created in so we can see how art continues to grow as the rest of the world shapes.”

As the music traveled through the decades, the hall was electrified throughout the night with performers hyping up the audience. Students and alum took their opportunity to shine in the spotlight, shredding guitar solos and slamming drum sets as the red and blue stage lights reflected off the cymbals and back to the cheering crowd. The singers let the music take over their movements and swung their heads to the beat of the drum and jumped around on stage. 

Abigail Paucar, a sophomore music major, said that she was excited to hear more old school rock music. She said the opportunity to reminisce about older artists is important to truly appreciate the diversity of the genre. 

“I don’t want to say it’s a dying genre, but I feel like you don’t hear actual rock and roll as much these days like in the past,” Paucar said. “I feel like now it’s more alt-rock and deep rock, which I still love, but it’s not the same. I feel like there still should be some sort of space for the legends and these amazing songs that a lot of people don’t listen to as much these days.” 

The setlist continued with songs from Tina Turner, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Bikini Kill, My Chemical Romance and Pierce the Veil. The energy transitioned across decades. Even so, each set of performers seemed synched up on stage as the vocalists sang both to the crowd and to their band members. For Mary James, the other co-president of Rock and Roll Productions, the community built among the creative performers was one of her favorite parts. 

“It happens sometimes where, especially freshmen and sophomores, feel a little disconnected from the community because they haven’t really found their footing yet,” James said. “This gives them a really good opportunity to find a footing and to learn and grow and make mistakes.” 

There were 18 first-year and sophomore performers in the production. As a senior, she said it was important for students to have a space on campus to share their passion. James said that especially for Columbia students, taking the time to honor past creators can spark ideas for the new generation. 

“All of this stuff we played today was innovation,” she said. “Getting into that innovation mindset makes you able to create something new, gets you in the mindset to make new things. So I think it can only do good things to learn about different kinds of music and play it and really transcribe it and get into it.”

Music and art are often motivated by other people, said Chayse Trammer, a senior film and television major that attended the showcase. They said that it is important to remember the original motive behind a piece.

“With music especially, but with any kind of art, everyone is influenced by someone,” Trammer said. “It’s good to know the history of that and trace it back so you can learn about different kinds of music.” 

The night ended with modern rock and roll songs, and touched on a variety of sub-genres including indie-rock, grunge and emo-rock. The crowd cheered and clapped throughout each performance, reveling at the confidence of the performers, and ending the show with a standing ovation. 

After the showcase, Hanam said that she was extremely proud of the team and proud to represent the rock scene, especially during the intense political climate. She reflected on the history of rock music’s origins.

“Rock is a very politically motivated genre, and we did a lot more of that this time,” Hanam said. “We wanted to bring that to the forefront.” 

James said she was also proud of the outcome of the show. She said she hopes that someone will take on the club after they graduate, and revive rock and roll.

“Keep rock alive; it’s important,” she said. “And fuck Donald Trump.”