Quincy Collective Masquerock Ball
Location: The Quincy Cage
Dates: Oct. 28
Producers: Abraham J.R. Riesman ’08 and E.R. “Teddy” Sherrill ’08

Beer and Butterfingers usually amount to a mediocre Thursday night, but as counterparts to the first-annual Masquerock at Quincy, they seemed to set a different tone.

There were Halloween jack-o-lanterns aplenty—and even a Great Pumpkin dedicated to a certain UC representative who failed to provide a proper speaker system. Despite the shoddy amps and microphones, a campy sense of fun settled over the Quincy Collective and the three Harvard-based bands that celebrated the whole point of Halloween: dressing up like somebody else. In this case, the bands donned the appropriate costumes to present covers of rock bands Third Eye Blind, and Nirvana.

Buoyed by the enthusiasm of “emcee” and Crimson Executive Abraham J.R. Riesman ’08, the Quincy Cage (in the basement of Quincy House) became the epicenter for indie rock enthusiasts at Harvard eager for free beer and music. Although it had been burdened with the disclaimer that the “first time is the worst time,” The Masquerock was a bona fide respectable rock concert of student bands, featuring Susan Putnins and the Sinister Turns (covering Third Eye Blind), Plan B for the Type A’s (covering Weezer), and Dramadairy (covering Nirvana). Dozens of students sought a study break (or traipsed in from Quincy Stein Club), to hear the bands sing mostly in “costume.”

Opening the evening with middle school favorite “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind, Susan Putnins and the Sinister Turns performed with an infectious enthusiasm, galvanizing a nostalgic time warp back to the days of awkward dances and acne. Although the strumming guitars and booming drums drowned out lead singer Susan I. Putnins ’08, the crowd did not seem to mind or notice. Frankly, real-life Third Eye Bind lead singer Stephen Jenkins is habitually so sloshed in concerts that this band’s cover may have done more justice to “Jumper.”

Plan B for the Type A’s then covered Weezer, a band with an understandably avid following at Harvard, since lead singer Rivers Cuomo is pursuing a degree here. Concert-goers further showed their fanaticism by enthusiastically bopping along to “Buddy Holly” and even chiming in on the newer, less popular “Beverly Hills.”

Dramadairy, the final act, took the stage well after 10 p.m., when the crowd was noticeably rowdier. It was difficult to hear lead singer and Crimson Executive Leon Neyfakh ’07 due to his raspy voice and the poor acoustics, but they made a noble effort to channel Nirvana. By the time their final set came about the crowd seemed to be losing interest in the evening. The lack of alcohol was noted by several of the concert attendees.

With luck, the next presentation of Masquerock will feature a functioning PA system and more Butterfingers and Bud Light. Nonetheless, as Thursday’s concert stood as the inaugural Masquerock, it set an impressive precedent for the Masquerocks in years to come.