Thursday afternoon, between the hustle and bustle of going to class and meeting friends at the Tiger Den, students and faculty will be treated to live music courtesy of the Student Activities Council’s Spring Fling week.
Playing live from noon-2 p.m. at the Tiger Den, the group Patchouli, an acoustic guitar duo originating from Chicago, will provide music to help alleviate anxiety and stress as the semester winds down.
Julie Hecksel, one half of the acoustic group, said although touring can become difficult, she said she enjoys performing at various college campuses.
“It’s fun touring,” Hecksel said. “It’s inspiring to be on college campuses because we get to know a lot of people and get a feel for the campus.”
The two originally met in January of 1993 in a church in Chicago. With only a guitar and a 5 gallon pail, they discovered a common interests in creating original songs.
Soon after, both Bruce Stanton, the other half of the group, and Hecksel toured the country for nearly four years. In, 1996, the duo recorded and produced their first album. “Strawberry Blues” was released in December of that year. Since recording their debut album, the two have released three more albums. Hecksel described their music as simply high energy, original acoustic music.
Over the past year, Patchouli’s touring schedule has taken them across the nation, visiting such cities as Chicago, Ashville, NC to Ithica, NY.
“I would say my favorite place we played at on this tour is New Hampshire,” Hecksel said. “I liked it because the people were really different, really laid back. I thought we connected with a lot of people and usually those are the best shows.”
As their current tour winds down, Hecksel stated that the two plan to take a break from touring to begin recording their fifth album which is tentatively scheduled for a June release.
According to Richard Magvney, special event chair person of SAC, the student organization chose for Patchouli to come the University after seeing them in concert. Magvey added that the duo would also bring some diversity to the scheduled events sponsored by SAC.
“One thing that SAC tries to do is to appeal to all types of people,” Magvney. “(Patchouli) is a little different, and I think everyone will enjoy it.”
Patchouli will play at the Tiger Den Thursday from 12-2 p.m. To find out more information on the band visit their website at www.patchouli.net.
