The Rocket

Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Ray Miles [Click to enlarge]

The Aebersold Recreation Center, which is usually accustomed to the daily bump of basketballs, was bouncing with the beats of alternative/hip-hop band, the Gym Class Heroes on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Over 300 tickets were sold for the concert that was organized by the University Program Board as the fall semester's major concert.

The event, which was organized by the UPB, cost around $72,000. This amount paid for the Gym Class Heroes' agents, sounds, lights, stage, security, transportation and other expenses such as food and beverages.

Students lined up for the show outside the ARC well before the doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and the show began with the opening act, The Finest, at 7:30 p.m. The Finest is an R&B/hip-hop group comprised of two Clarion students, JC and Frankie baby.

In the far back of the ARC, in the closed gym, Gym Class Heroes members Travis McCoy, Matt McGinley, Eric Roberts and Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo sat in a make-shift dressing room complete with couches, tables and food.

Scattered across the tables and the floor were many of their belongings, including a large purple Gym Class Heroes flag, laptops and various clothing items.

Lead vocalist, McCoy, and drummer, McGinley, the members who started the band in Geneva, N.Y., in 1997, played basketball and joked around with their friends and band mates as a part of their pre-show activities.

After taking photos with the members of the University Program Board, McCoy and McGinley leaned up against the wall of the gym. McCoy, a statuesque character with a sideways baseball cap and tattoos scattered all over his body, wiped his forehead.

"When we first got big, I obsessively cleaned my condo," McCoy said sarcastically. "I exercised a lot with my Wii too. I stopped taking the subway and became recluse."

McCoy went on with his sarcasm.

"When we first started, we were young and just wanted to get some chicks," he said. "We're assholes. We all have big heads."

McGinley, the more serious of the duo, chimed in.

"We're humble and down to Earth," he said.

McGinley is shorter than McCoy. His light brown hair sweeps across his brow, and his fashion sense is a mix of urban and rock 'n' roll. Perhaps affected by McGinley's serious response, McCoy continued on.

Continued...

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