Free live music at the Ramskeller on the CSU campus every week

FORT COLLINS — If your mood needs a little boost to make it over Humpday, stop by the Ramskeller on the first floor of the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State University campus and catch a live local band for free.

Every Wednesday, from 2 to 4 p.m., Campus Activities, RamEvents and SpokesBUZZ present LSC Live, showcasing local bands playing genres from hip hop to punk, country to indie rock. The bands perform two 30-minute sets in the casual atmosphere of the Ramskeller, making it a great place for a midweek study break or just a chance to see some of the area’s newest bands playing on campus.

LSC Live provides a small view of the wide variety of highly talented bands in Northern Colorado. In addition, LSC Live brings real-world experience to the missions of both Campus Activities and SpokesBUZZ, according to Sommer Grandchamp, LSC Live coordinator for Campus Activities. The two organizations have partnered to provide entertainment for many on-campus events in the past, including the opening act for the annual fall concert this year.

“It’s a great way to bring music into the LSC, which is something we’ve wanted to do since it reopened last year,” Grandchamp said. “This is the first semester that we have presented LSC Live, and so far the students seem to enjoy it.”

Nine bands have been scheduled to perform through Dec. 2; no shows during Thanksgiving break. Check out the lineup at the Lory Student Center website: http://lsc.colostate.edu/lory-student-centers-ramskeller-pub/live-entertainment/.

Hands-on experience for students

LSC Live gives bands an additional venue for performing and reaching a new audience, while giving the RamEvents student staff the opportunity to work on every aspect of managing and promoting concerts on a weekly basis. They work closely with Kebrina Chirdon, who coordinates the internship program for SpokesBUZZ, a Fort Collins-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting and incubating local bands. 

“One of the main purposes of LSC Live is to make the Fort Collins music scene accessible for students,” Chirdon said. “It is also a step toward revitalizing the culture of the Student Center to match its beautiful new renovations. The goal with this program is to encourage students to be active, create community and seek entertainment in the Student Center.”

But that’s not all, she added.

“As great as this program is for students to enjoy, it also provides students interested in the entertainment business a glimpse into the workings of creating, managing, and evaluating a long-term program. Ram Events and SpokesBUZZ as organizations have been collaborating for years, now student staff and interns from both sides are working together in the event management process.”

RamEvents surveys the audience at each Ramskeller show to help determine how to make the experience better as well as what kinds of bands to book for next semester.

The concerts are announced on the video screens in the LSC and student-run KCSU radio will be on the Plaza in a pop-up tent playing the band’s music before the gigs throughout the month of October.

“We’re also working with Student Media — KCSU and CTV — to expand our promotions and capture live footage of the bands playing at the Ramskeller,” Grandchamp said. 

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