Fall house shows set sail with a pirate-themed show at Limelight – Daily Emerald

As the fall season begins and students return to their busy schedules, Eugene’s house show scene is back in action.

On September 28th, The Limelight, a local house show venue, hosted its pirate-themed “End of Summer” party. For a fee of seven dollars, people attended the show dressed in pirate costumes to watch local bands Housekeeping, GrrlBand and Bowl Peace rock the house with electrifying performances.

The Limelight is a newer addition to the list of venues in Eugene. Lucas Carroll, a resident of the home, began hosting shows there in the spring of 2023 when he realized the home had a large backyard and patio that would be perfect as a stage.

Carroll said he has been interested in the music scene for years and jumped at the opportunity to join the house show community with his own venue.

“It was chaotic as hell and I had a lot of fun putting the shows together,” Carroll said. “If I couldn’t find people to play in a band with, I could at least be a part of the whole house show scene here by throwing it.”

When asked what makes a good house show, Carroll said: “A killer house show is all about the connection between the audience and the band. If the band brings the energy, the audience will give it back.”

This connection between the audience and the bands was evident on the last Saturday evening of summer.

The band members wore eye patches and eye-catching pirate costumes during their performance. The first set was “Housekeeping,” whose lead singer Ashley Michael Epstein sang her heart out to both originals and covers. Next up was GrrlBand with a sparkling purple guitar and killer vocals.

Closing things out was Bowl Peace, who performed covers of Surf Curse’s “Disco” and Peach Pit’s “Black Licorice” as well as a handful of original compositions.

Featuring Elise Benton on vocals, Owen Akiyama on bass, Holden Hunt on guitar and Elizabeth Bailey on drums, Bowl Peace has become a staple on the house show scene here in Eugene over the past year. Their energetic performances and exciting shows kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

“These guys make me feel like family. Shows are probably my favorite part of it,” Benton said. “Doing everything, having a great performance and having that 30- to 45-minute set where you give it everything you have. It’s a great experience and I wouldn’t rather do anything else.”

When asked what makes the shows exciting, Benton said: “We want every show to be different. We always try to change the references and what we do to keep it fresh.”

Bowl Peace put that goal into action Saturday night, capping their performance with their bassist Owen Akiyama walking the plank.

Akiyama built the plank himself and reinforced it before the show. During the band’s dynamic performance, Akiyama walked the plank into the crowd and jumped. The crowd caught him and he surfed across the sea of ​​pirates attending the show.

“We decided to have a pirate theme for this show, and walking the plank kind of came to mind,” Akiyama said. “Nobody thought I could do it. I went to Home Depot and bought the plank and said, ‘How is this going to work?'”

The segment was a welcome reminder of how exciting these house shows are. With live performances, fun themes, and a community of music-loving students, house shows are a unique part of Eugene’s student nightlife.