Last night, bands and performers from around town played live at Bruce Starker Arts Park, an amphitheater located in south Corvallis.

Artists included Pacific Roots, The Cary’s, Trabio, Chris Gruchacz and Jack Hubner.

This show was free and open to all ages, encouraging families with children and college students alike to come together and listen. Picnic blankets were scattered across the lawn areas as the bands jammed underneath the covered stage.

The headliners, aptly named Pacific Roots, are a five-piece student band created this year that plays folk and rock. All of their music is original, with some members in music majors here at Oregon State.

Aidan Westrope, a junior pursuing a double degree in music production and fish & wildlife, plays the guitar, piano, and sings vocals in Pacific Roots.

“I have played acoustic and electric guitar for 10 years and started singing and playing piano since attending Oregon state’s music program. Songwriting comes from working hard at home or in the music department studios. I usually play the piano or guitar to create a chord progression and envision a melody that would fit the structure of the song,” Westrope said.

“Pacific Roots music is extremely diverse that has a range from folk music to contemporary to rock ‘n’ roll. Having numerous genres of music helps keep the creative ideas flowing for new material and doesn’t limit our talent! We enjoy our music because it is all original compositions built on sharing ideas from one another,” Westrope said.

Henry Robins, a junior in Digital Communication Arts, is the drummer for Pacific Roots and was a big help in bringing the student musicians together.

“The band started as a project for a class fall term where music production majors had to get together and make some music together. I paired up with Aidan and we ended up performing a small concert of original music at the end of the term. We called ourselves Pacific Roots because we noticed we were both from the Pacific Northwest,” Robins said.

Robins expects to continue playing in the band and growing as a musician, all while following his passion for creating music.

“So far our only plans after the concert are to record our songs when the summer starts. This is the biggest concert we’ve done so far so we’re pretty excited to see what it’ll do for us,” Robins said.

Andrew Provost, guitarist and singer in the band, is a junior majoring in environmental economics and policy that got involved by practicing with the group.

“Henry invited me to play with the band as a guest musician and after some rehearsals together, they wanted to bring Joey and I into the band as members. I really enjoy getting to spend time with an awesome group of guys who like to play similar music,” Provost said. “Rock has always been my form of art where I’m able to channel my creative energy and that side of the brain. It’s very fun, yet mentally invigorating and satisfying to write music.”

They all plan to continue practicing and performing together, building on what they’ve already brought to fruition.

“It’s always been really cool to see how our musicianship, friendship, and genuine passion continue to develop for what we play,” Provost said.

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