Marcy Rocks White Tent Party in Costume
On November 2nd, as the sun began to set and students pranced around campus in Halloween attire anticipating the night to come, SLU’s campus came alive with music, energy, and excitement as the annual Tent Party kicked off. Amidst the chilly air and the buzzing crowd, one student band took center stage and stole the show: Marcy. Known for their covers and original songs, Marcy delivered a performance that had the crowd movin, groovin, and climbing the walls – seriously, somebody climbed up a pole.
Marcy is made up of talented student musicians who have become “household names” in the campus music scene: Lucy Albrecht ‘27, Henry Baker ‘25, Emmet Dayhoof ‘26, Alex Tidd ‘25 and Oliver White ‘27. While each member juggles a busy schedule and leads an intricate life of their own, the collective passion for live music and performance shared by the band shines through every time they take the stage.
A Glimpse into Marcy’s Semester
As Marcy members reflected on their experience over the past semester, it grew clear that all has been going quite well – despite a few setbacks. “The shows we’ve played have been awesome,” said Baker and Dayhoof. “Tent Party was definitely our favorite one, there were so many people, and we played really well, the energy on stage and in the crowd was top tier.” The atmosphere was electric, and Marcy effortlessly fed off the crowd’s enthusiasm delivering an outstanding performance; per Marcy norms.
However, not everything went as smoothly behind the scenes as one may have suspected. Between schoolwork, jobs, and other commitments, finding time to practice was a challenge. “One of the biggest setbacks this semester is that we’re all extremely busy,” said Dayhoof. “It’s hard to find time to get into the studio and really focus on practice.” In fact, several songs only had a few days – or even just a couple of days – of practice before the big performance. “Some songs had maybe four days of practice,” said Baker. “‘Thriller’ had, like, two days of practice.” Tidd also mentioned the occasional gaffe, and the external factors faced during the performance such as weather. “It was cold, I messed up a couple of times,” said Tidd. Despite these time constraints and small blunders, the band managed to pull off a performance that demonstrated dedication, a cohesive group dynamic, and divine musical talent.
While Marcy is known for playing songs that students know and love, they are also determined to prove that they are more than just a cover band. Marcy’s original music has made its unique mark on the music scene on campus, appeasing the masses as much, if not more than their beloved covers. “We’ve written an original, we’ve performed an original,” said Alex. “It’s tough to work on an original when we have a show coming up and we wanna sound good,” said Dayhoof. “Tidd and Lucy sound really great.” The band’s original music has already made waves, with one original song standing out during their Tent Party set.
Members of the Java Barn were particularly smitten by Marcy’s performance. Java Barn is a theme house on campus whose goal is to host completely student-run live music venues. Autumn Nealis ‘25 is a member of Java and frequently works with both on-campus and outside bands to organize student entertainment and weekly performances. “I do really enjoy their [Marcy’s] music. I think that they’re a very talented group of individuals that have a diverse range of music” said Nealis, who particularly enjoyed Marcy’s original music. “It was phenomenal and just as talented as all their covers that they do.”
Brandon Christopher ‘25 has experienced several Halloweekends in his time at SLU. When asked about his weekend this year, Christopher expressed how he did not necessarily have the time of his life, but that he did have a nice time because he was surrounded by good friends. Though Christopher’s demeanor suddenly shifted as soon as Marcy’s name slipped into his ears. “Ohh they were actually really nice! I really like to go to events here on campus that bands perform at,” said Christopher in reflection about Tent Party. “I liked that performance; I liked it a lot.” The audience at Tent Party had high energy which bounced continuously from the crowd to Marcy. A sustainable, high-energy level was kept for the duration of the performance which allowed for the good times to keep on rolling.
Members of Marcy took a moment to reflect. They pondered the question of how music has had an impact on their time at SLU. “I remember my freshman year – seeing all the student bands and getting super excited about it,” said Baker. “It’s cool to keep that going. Music is good.” The rest of the members nodded and rallied in agreement. “It’s nice to be a student band and keep the culture of live music going,” said Tidd. “We don’t play that much, but when we do, it’s so great to see the crowd respond. I think people really enjoy live music.” Live music has a special way of connecting people. It provides access to a fundamental love and appreciation for not only music, but for the people who are all enjoying it together. In that moment, there are no bounds that differentiate the girl you have chem with to the left, and the guy that lives in your hall a little way to the right. In that moment the music ties everybody together, honing in to the greater sense of SLU community.
If their performance at Tent Party is any indication, Marcy is just getting started. So, you may ask, when is Marcy’s next big break? “Yeah, we’re open for house shows if anyone’s lookin!” said Baker, reflecting on the band’s eagerness to spread their music beyond larger campus events. Perhaps an intimate house party with a Marcy appearance looms on the horizon…