University Union Plaza Stage, February 11, 2022

I’m a big advocate for rock music on college campuses. I grew up near Chico, California, where (hard) rock music has been (semi-)banned on the university campus since The Tubes made a mess of Laxson Auditorium on December 2, 1982. This only added to the romanticism surrounding on-campus venues that I felt from hearing stories of Tad and Nirvana playing the student union at Manchester Polytechnic or the Grateful Dead playing the Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley hundreds of times. So when I left my hometown for college “in the big city” (I grew up in a really small town, San Luis Obispo is a big city for me), I was disappointed to find that rock bands performing on campus at Cal Poly are few and far between. So I want to thank MPU for providing a space for hard rock acts Velvet Elvis and Tres Pescadores to do their thing earlier this month.

Velvet Elvis gave off Nine Inch Nails energy and presented a no-frills hard rock/heavy metal sound. The set was about 50-50 covers and originals, and the band was unafraid to touch on gothic soundscapes at times. Their bassist/guitarist Luca really looked the part, rocking a patch-ridden denim vest all the while. Not only that, he really crushed Geezer Butler’s “Bassically” intro before the band covered “N.I.B,” the song that got the biggest reaction from the crowd all night.

Closing the show was experimental rock group Tres Pescadores. Their set was easily the tightest of the night and focused largely on original compositions, however the highlight in my mind was their post-hardcore rendition of the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Linus and Lucy.” Their drummer, Jack Butler, was also their lead vocalist, which always makes me happy to see because it doesn’t happen often. I don’t have a ton else to say about them, just that they’re really heavy and solid and I’d recommend seeing them if you get the chance.

Other noteworthy acts from the evening were Gladewing, a pianist who played anime score covers, and The King Brother, and indie rock group who were playing their first public show.