Annual ‘UnRecital’ entertains with funny, non-traditional music performances
“General Lee and the Trainwrecks” perform the parody song “Pretty Pink Tractor” by Tim Hawkins.
Photo credit: Natalie Guske
By Natalie Guske
The annual UnRecital hosted by Concordia’s chapter of the National Association for Music Educators brought students of all majors to Weller Chapel on Saturday night for the year’s most non-traditional music event.
Similar to many recitals held by the music department, the UnRecital featured music students showcasing their talents in a number of areas. These acts incorporated the use of vocals (including screaming), skillful piano playing, songs on accordion, performances on the electric guitar, slide whistle solos, and, of course, the use of the Weller Chapel’s organ.
Timothy Baker plays accordion and sings “Carrot Juice is Murder” by Arrogant Worms. Photo: Nora Betts.
“I loved the variety of instrument usages and vocals,” said sophomore audience member Kelsey Heinemann. “I think it made for a very fun and unique show.”
The UnRecital is truly a little bit of everything, meaning that the audience never knows exactly what to expect next. Performances ranged from a barbershop quartet version of The Chords’ classic song “Sh-Boom” to a one-man version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” on electric guitar and slide whistle.
“I really liked the barbershop quartet,” said sophomore Cyloh Carlson. “They were just fun to listen to and to watch with the silly little antics [they included].”
Among the performers was junior Timothy Baker, who, with the aid of his accordion, brought riotous laughter from the crowd as he advocated for the rights of vegetables.
“I played ‘Carrot Juice is Murder’ by the underrated Canadian humor-folk group Arrogant Worms,” Baker said. “I was struck by the genius of a protest song exposing the injustice of harming poor, innocent vegetables, as brilliantly written as it is absurd.”
While the acts had the audience roaring with laughter, they were only part of the UnRecital fun. Emcees sophomore David Eatherton and sophomore Richard Peperkorn filled the time between performances with memorable transitions.
Among emcee performances was a yoga tutorial, a rendition of a psalm tone on organ, and an on-stage interview with six-month-old Ruth Mars, which Eatherton called a “crowd favorite.”
Emcees David Eatherton (left) and Richard Peperkorn (right) interview six-month-old Ruth Mars (middle). Photo submitted by Emma Kettelhake.
“Tim and Elie [Mars], Ruth’s parents, were great,” Eatherton said. “We asked a month or two in advance because we had the idea [of getting Ruth up there with us], and even though it was past Ruth’s bedtime, she cooperated fantastically.”
Another UnRecital crowd favorite was the band “General Lee and the Trainwrecks” led by junior NAfME president Dalton Lee. The group bookended the recital with a humorous opening rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and a closing performance of “Pretty Pink Tractor,” a parody of Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor” by Tim Hawkins.
“My inspiration behind my performances was YouTube,” Lee said. “I had seen all of them in some capacity. All I did was change them a little and perform them myself.”
While the UnRecital might be the only concert on campus to include a recitation of the Gettysburg address accompanied by organ, it is a student tradition and an essential part of Concordia culture.
“[Next year] it would be nice to have some more acts that are not exclusively music majors performing,” Lee said. “If we could get a more academically diverse cast for next year, that would be great.”
