As classes come to an end on the first Monday of Fall Quarter, the Student Center begins to fill with hungry individuals looking for a place to kick back and relax. To their surprise, live music echoes throughout the atrium.
The DePaul Activities Board hosted its annual Sounds of Sheffield, Volume One on Monday, Sept. 9 as a part of Welcome Week. Concerts chair Aiden O’Neal was responsible for putting together the event.
“The planning process started around the beginning of the summer, this past quarter,” O’Neal said. “Once we have our (event proposal) approved, vendors reached out to and confirmed, all the setups and reservations in order, and the marketing all in place, it’s down to last minute preparations.”
Following the tradition of years past, Sounds of Sheffield, Volume One was hosted in the Student Center Atrium to centralize its location, O’Neal said. With this event, among others hosted during Welcome Week, the DePaul Activities Board hopes to get students involved and build campus community.
“It’s really important for freshmen to have this experience,” O’Neal said. “Getting people involved, and seeing the campus life around DePaul, especially when you’re brand new — it’s really important that we express ourselves as a very welcoming and open group.”
Sounds of Sheffield, Volume One featured folk-punk artist Schlupp and pop-soul fusion artist Rachel Brown. Providing students with entertainment that can be shared among friends is an amazing experience, Brown said.
“Music is responsible for so many of our emotions,” Brown said. “(It) either helps us feel them, or we look to music to help express ourselves. It’s a really special tool to connect with each other and bond over shared experiences.”
Attending this event were sophomores Maeve Dwyer and Maggie Lopez. Both saw freshmen stop by and believed Sounds of Sheffield, Volume One to be a good introduction to the Chicago music scene.
“I think it’s a fun way for people to learn more about what’s going on in Chicago, and not just necessarily DePaul,” Dwyer said.
Schlupp, a Chicago-based artist, has played house shows at Bookclub, Schubas and other local venues. Performing at these events allows Schlupp to meet people who feel passionate about music and create an emotional connection with audience members.
“Wherever I play is important to me, because I write these songs to get emotions out,” Schlupp said. “It’s a very strong feeling that I have for music. When I play these shows and write these songs, I hope I can provide (the audience with) the feelings that my favorite bands provide for me.”
Schlupp hopes to start attending DePaul by this coming winter. He commented on the beauty of the music school and referred to it as a “dream.”
“I thought (this event) was a good stepping stone, a foothold into DePaul,” Schlupp said. “I’m really excited to be at the school, dig into the music scene, meet people, take classes here and be a demon.”
Sounds of Sheffield, Volume One is the first installment of six total volumes — about two per quarter, O’Neal said. Volume Two is scheduled for Oct. 16 and will be a part of the annual Fall Flea Market on the Quad. The names of featured artists have yet to be announced.
“If I could keep doing music for the rest of my life, I absolutely would,” O’Neal said. “Even if (it was) unpaid, I’d probably still do it. I really like music and I hope I can bring that to other people.”
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