The Billiken Club is revving up for a new year of performances.
Located inside Salsarita’s on the ground floor of the Busch Student Center, The Billiken Club regularly showcases national and local bands on the rise.
“The Billiken Club is known for booking kind of before the curve bands,” Sanita Saengvilay, one of three managers of The Billiken Club, said. “We’ve been known to pick bands that are more popular, but we’re usually on the more indie level.”
This year, bands scheduled to appear include Royal Bangs, Tiger City, Maserati, Richard Buckner and Nomo. While these bands are all different, each of them shares a rock heritage and unique sound.
The diverse line up of bands usually guarantees a great reaction from students and local music aficionados.
“Last year was actually very good. We had full capacity at some days,” Saengvilay said. “A lot of the shows we had to turn people away because we couldn’t fit any more people in.”
The popularity of the club relies a lot on the careful selection of bands that The Billiken Club bookers make each year.
“We try to appeal to lots of different people,” Saengvilay said. “We like to know if they have songs that they can fulfill or play a full set. We look to see if they have any fans and how many.”
Managers of The Billiken Club are confident that students will enjoy what they’re offering.
After all, they are students themselves.
“It’s just a good, fun, free concert, and even if you haven’t heard of any of the bands, it will be a fun time,” Saengvilay said.
On Sept. 10, The Billiken Club will officially kick off the semester with a concert by The Royal Bangs and Tiger City. Royal Bangs is a band that often uses choppy chords, while Tiger City carries a blues-like beat.
The bands that play will be tested. Not every band will walk away with a larger following, but for those bands that do, the Billiken Club may be their first stop on the way to the big time.
For more information about the schedule, visit The Billiken Club’s official Web site at http://thebillikenclub.wordpress.com.
