By Emily Sakamoto
Kenyon’s music hub, the Horn Gallery, is preparing for a concert season of indie rock, electronic dance music and more.
A week later, on Sept. 19, the Horn will play host to the end of WKCO Day, an event culminating with student bands playing in the Gallery.
On Sept. 27, Those Darlins, a country-influenced garage rock band from Tennessee, will play at the Horn. The band, previously all-female, recently added two male artists.
In early October, the Horn has scheduled Speedy Ortiz, an indie rock band from Northampton, Mass.
Later in the month, the Horn will host its annual Fall Fest, which in previous years has been called Hornicorpia and featured a cider press.
Oneohtrix Point Never, an abstract electronic artist, will make an appearance in November with a DJ opener, Rich After Taxes.
Beyond these scheduled artists, the Horn Gallery also has a wishlist of performers.
The Horn managers ﾗ Jack Washburn ’16 and Mary Hollyman ’14 ﾗ are still working out plans for these prospective artists to come to Kenyon.
No. 1 on the Horn’s list is Mykki Blanco, who “is big in the New York queer rap community,” Washburn said.
“He’s probably going to come in November, the weekend after Oneohtrix Point Never.”
However, the final details of Blanco’s visit have not been solidified.
Also in the works is the return of Pinegrove, an alumni alternative-rock band consisting of Nandi Plunkett ’11 and Evan Stephens Hall ’11.
In addition, the co-managers are hoping to return DJ Jonathan Toubin.
“He plays all these amazing soul vinyl gems from the ’60s,” Hollyman said. “Last year, it was a dance party.”
In addition to the music acts, the Horn has been offering playwriting and artist grants since the 2011-2012 academic year.
“It seemed like a lot of artists on campus were frustrated with wanting to make art, but the supplies were expensive and there wasn’t a venue for it,” Hollyman said. “With the grant[s] we hope they can use the supplies to execute an art show.” Two playwrights and two artists have the opportunity to win Horn grants after the staff votes on submitted applications.
Artists are also welcome to utilize the recently reopened basement space, which can be accessed by contacting Campus Safety.
“Students will be able to apply and propose an art show that we will then fund for them,” Hollyman said.
“It’s back open, and we just want to really emphasize it’s a great resource to have and it’s important for the Kenyon music scene,” Washburn said.
Last year, the space was temporarily closed after a number of cases of abuse, including the presence of drug paraphernalia.
“We want people to remember that the practice room is part of the Horn and the Horn is supposed to be an open and welcoming space,” added Hollyman.
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