Was Harvest Fest the Best? 

Yoke Lore Headlines With Hit Song “Beige” 

This past Saturday, students gathered on the Old Java Quad for the Harvest Fest. This year, the Association for Campus Entertainment brought indie pop musician Yoke Lore to the stage. You may not recognize him by the name, but you’d most likely recognize the song from the first strum of the banjo. 

Originally, upon hearing that ACE was hosting Yoke Lore, I was ecstatic. But then I realized that everyone and their mother—at least at St. Lawrence University—knew the band’s top song, “Beige.” I must say I was slightly disappointed. I was under the impression that it was one of my super cool, super underground indie songs that would give me some street cred at the Java Barn. Apparently not.

Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance that Yoke Lore put on. From my perspective, the event seemed like an all-around hit! Prior to the headliner, a student band performed a set of songs, which prepped the audience to properly jam out. While waiting for the main performance, there was pizza, homemade samosas, cider donuts and apple cider to snack on. 

“It was super fun and a great way to spend a Saturday evening,” said Amelia Bernstein ’26. 

Yoke Lore jumped right into things, dancing around the stage with his banjo. It took a while for the audience to warm up to his level of enthusiasm, but once they did, there was no stopping them. The group of students dancing in front of the stage got larger and more energetic as the night went on. 

“It was really awesome to see people from all different parts of campus bring so much energy to the event,” said Rachel Pelletier ’27. 

Despite the debates over whether or not Yolk Lore was singing or lip syncing or a combination of both, the music and the vibes were wonderful. The big moment, of course, was when he finally sang “Beige.” The crowd went wild, with Yoke Lore encouraging people to step up onto the lower stage platform. I couldn’t see him very well through the people dancing, but every now and then I saw his head pop up through the crowd as he jumped around on the stage. For me, the performance of “Beige” was just what I needed to get into the fall mood.

Although I was anxiously waiting for him to play “Beige,” I found myself adding another one of his songs, “Winona,” to my playlist. While “Beige” is upbeat and has a great fall vibe, “Winona” just totally rocks. I’m not super experienced with writing about music, so I’ll just say it’s worth the listen, especially once it gets to the chorus. 

Sadly, I can’t compare it to the music at Harvest Fest last year because my parents were in town, although I was a big fan of the singer Gnash in my angsty middle school days. However, I imagine Yoke Lore was a much bigger hit for a wider audience. I even saw SLU President Kate Morris in attendance. 

As far as it goes for ACE, it seems like the association was pleased with the turnout. “We all felt like it was a huge success across the board. It was super exciting and rewarding to see so many people come out, engage, and have fun at the show. The events we plan take lots of time and effort, and seeing fellow peers enjoy themselves makes it 100% worth it,” said Lauryn Cruz ’27, President of ACE. 

Personally, I can’t wait to see what Harvest Fest will have for us in store next year, and until then, I’ll be sticking to my roots and only writing book reviews for A&E.