A Dunk ‘N Gunk ‘N Funk ‘N Night
Article By Olivia Friess, University Union Editorial Board Executive Editor | Photo By Megan Jonas
Three bands, three chaotic interviews, and a whole lot of waffles — what more can you possibly need on a Thursday night? On February 22nd, Syracuse student bands After Hours, Gunk!, and Nancy Dunkle took to the Funk ‘N Waffles stage for what was perhaps one of the venue’s most packed, energetic shows.
Photos By Megan Jonas
The funky, all-freshman five-piece band After Hours opened the show with a slew of crowd pleasing covers including Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Silk Sonic’s “Skate,” and ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).” Band member Kiera Walsh delivered a particularly standout performance as a multi-instrumentalist, bouncing flawlessly between synth solos, powerful vocals alongside Bella Ierano, and gritty rhythm guitar complemented by lead guitarist Max Kanefsky’s grooving solos. With the addition of Darius Baharlo’s smooth bass riffs and a stellar solo by drummer Goldie Singer, the band solidified themselves as an act not to be missed, so be sure to catch them at University Union’s Student Show this Friday!
Photos By Payton Dunn
After Hours was followed up by folk rock singer-songwriter Nancy Dunkle, whose recent addition of saxophonist Aisling Casey, trumpeter Xaden Nishimitsu, and backup vocalist Grace Ferguson breathed new life into her own contemplative lyrical compositions in addition to her new lineup of covers including Big Thief’s “Vampire Empire” and Indigo De Souza’s “Good Heart.” Dunkle entranced the crowd with not only a glimpse of her personal tastes, but also her life and personal stories as the only artist of the night to perform original songs, rounding it out with the “angsty” original “I Don’t Want To Make Friends.”
Photos By Megan Jonas
Headliners Gunk! delivered what can only be described as a hypnotizing feat of pure technical excellence. One audience member even approached the jazz fusion group during an interview to applaud their skills, remarking “All y’all are great! Y’all should perform every night, for real!” The set opened with a truly electric performance of “Got A Match” before vocalist Ania Kapllani took to the stage and grasped the audience with a cover of Bobby Hebb’s classic soul hit “Sunny.” Keyboardist Damian Doyle, saxophonists Mason Manteau and Will Angus, guitarist Owen Wernow, bassist Luke Brady, trumpeter Xaden Nishimitsu, and drummer Vito Vetere flew through some of their most complex work yet weaving in and out of big band instrumental tracks and equally big lyrical numbers complete with Kapllani’s absolute powerhouse of a voice.
Photos By Megan Jonas
After the show, Kapllani reflected that “the crowd was really awesome, they were all dancing to jazz fusion, which is something I thought I’d never experience,” which goes to show the undeniably infectious energy of this trio of bands. To be able to get a crowd of young people to dance to music that is not only decades older than them but is also riddled with unconventional time signatures is no easy task. Be sure to catch a show at the downtown Syracuse venue — don’t forget the waffles — and keep up with this exciting array of student bands so that you don’t miss a performance!
Setlists
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Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (ABBA cover)
Call Me (Blondie cover)
Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover)
Back Pocket (Vulfpeck cover)
Rosanna (TOTO cover)
Skate (Silk Sonic cover)
Keep Yourself Alive (Queen cover)
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Mud (Slow Pulp cover)
Unnamed
Vampire Empire (Big Thief cover)
Good Heart (Indigo De Souza cover)
Human Condition
Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman cover)
Symptom
ICU (Phoebe Bridgers cover)
I Don’t Want to Make Friend
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Got A Match (Chick Corea cover)
Sunny (Ella Fitzgerald cover)
Gaias Warning (Javier Santiago cover)
Atari (Hiatus Kaiyote cover)
Enigmatic Ocean Part I & II (Jean-Luc Ponty covers)
Feels So Good (Chuck Mangione cover)
Mr. Invisible (Thank You Scientist cover)
