ktru debuts spooky Halloween show

By Chiara Moretti     10/24/23 11:33pm

ktru is hosting a Halloween show this Friday, Oct. 27 at the Sewall Pit from 8-10 p.m. featuring live music, screen printing and a costume contest. Station manager Keegan Pierce said this spooky event is meant to embody ktru’s “do-it-yourself” nature, showcasing underground artists and providing a taste of local music to the Rice community. 

The live concert will showcase two bands, Orion 224 and Jump Rope. According to Pierce and Rachel Rosenthal, ktru’s small concerts director, both bands are indie rock groups from Houston. Pierce said he is particularly thrilled to include Orion 224 in the show and played a key role in the decision to have them perform.

“I’ve been going to a lot of different local shows around the Houston scene … Orion 224 is a band that I really like and has put on a lot of cool events,” Pierce, a Lovett College senior, said. “I feel like they just represent a super cool part of the Houston scene.” 

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Though similar Halloween events and activities have occurred in the past, Pierce and Rosenthal said this event is unique because of its emphasis on local music and connection to Houston. 

“Expanding the network of Houston artists that we’re connected to is something that’s exciting about this concert,” Rosenthal, a Duncan College junior, said.  

ktru is also targeting the Houston community to open this event to a wider audience. Fostering a sense of community will contribute to spreading Halloween spirit throughout the Rice campus, they said.

“ktru is not just [for] Rice students, it has a radio station that’s always playing out into the [Houston] community … we’re broadcasting [into Houston], in the same way this event is going to open to the community,” Pierce said. 

In addition, Rosenthal said this event will be a great opportunity to form meaningful connections within the Rice community built off of shared interests and listening to “spooky, intense [and] loud” music together. 

“Live music is a great way to meet people, and it’s a fun way to connect … It is a chill environment. No one has to pay, there’s free food,” Rosenthal said. “I think it’s a great way to get into the Halloween spirit.”

ktru will also be making and selling merchandise, such as t-shirts and crewnecks, at the event using on-site screen printing. This live creation will allow attendees to engage with the process of making their own merch.

Rosenthal said ktru members have made considerable effort to market the event through social media and physical posters on campus with unique designs. 

“Making sure that the word is out and that people know about it ... is the hardest part,” Rosenthal said. 

Contacting the performers and coordinating the various activities involved considerable effort, and Pierce said Rosenthal was a large part of the event’s planning and organization. 

“She has done a really great job reaching out to the bands and getting this all on track. She’s the glue that works in between administrators reserving the space and ktru getting the volunteers and setting up the promotion for the artists,” Pierce said. “She has done a really great job of connecting all of those webs together.”

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