CUAB to host Chapel Thrill Music Festival Friday

The Carolina Union Activities Board is hoping performers will thrill UNC students tonight. 

Local bands, many of them led by UNC students, will perform in the Student Union today and tonight as part of the first Chapel Thrill Music Festival organized by CUAB. 

The free festival promises to thrill audiences with live performances from eight local acts like UNC Cypher, Silent T, Spectral Herring, The Necks, NTG, Blonde and a Half, and Leah Moore. It is expected to attract between 300 to 500 UNC students. 

“There is some exciting new talent in the UNC music scene. People are trying to get their names out,” said Dan Irving, a junior psychology and communication studies double major and lead singer behind Spectral Herring, which will be making its debut at the Chapel Thrill Festival. 

The event was conceived last summer as CUAB members wanted to organize an alternative Friday night to bring students together while promoting local talent. The event is supported by Tar Heel Beginnings and First Year Experience.

Bands auditioned for spots and were selected by members of CUAB based on how close they were to Chapel Hill and how popular their music was. 

“We thought it would be nice to give undergraduates an alternative to drinking events on a Friday night,” said Travis Broadhurst, a sophomore geological sciences and physics double major and part of the CUAB team organizing the event. 

Bands will perform for 20 to 30 minutes, and intermissions will be filled by performances from local DJs. Upon arrival, students will receive a free voucher for carnival-themed food including hot dogs, chips and slushies.

Joshua Rowsey, a 2013 Kenan-Flager Business School graduate and member of UNC Cypher, said he is excited to take the Cypher from the Pit to the stage. 

“This is a great event for UNC students to see what the Tar Heel community is doing outside the classroom," he said. "The festival shows where people’s passions lie, and for UNC Cypher, our passions lie in hip-hop.” 

UNC Cypher members were approached by CUAB event organizers, who saw their weekly Cyphers in the Pit. 

“We’re an eclectic group of individuals who are all telling stories," Rowsey said. "We have a lot of energy — unfiltered energy — that we can bring different to other groups.” 

The rapper Silent T, UNC School of Nutrition Ph.D. candidate Ben Tzeel, encouraged UNC students to come by.

“Students should come to hear the greatest rapper that they’ve never heard of yet," he said. 

Broadhurst said students looking for a fun, free way to spend their Friday night — and experience a variety of genres like hip-hop, rap and acoustic — should look no further than the Chapel Thrill Music Festival. 

And, for the performers, Tzeel said the festival will be a night of fun as well.

"I'm excited to get out in front of a crowd and do my thing. I like the rush in performing." 

arts@dailytarheel.com