On Saturday, the academic quad hosted an acoustic concert put on by the Oswego State campus radio station,                                               WNYO 88.9.

Acoustics in the Quad was coordinated by Steven Radford, the production director at WNYO, and featured musical performances by 11 student artists throughout the day.

Acoustics in the Quad kicked off at noon and ended around 6 p.m. Within the six hours, those in attendance were treated to a variety of acoustic songs ranging from stripped down Blink-182 songs, to pop music covers and plenty of original compositions as well.

Those who performed signed up for the event by emailing Radford. After everyone emailed, Radford compiled a schedule for each performance and emailed the schedule out to the performers.

“It was set up like an actual show or acoustic concert,” Radford points out.

Radford considers the event to be a “more formal open mic.” The big difference between the Open Mic Night put on by the Lifestyles Center and Acoustics in the Quad was the amount of time each performer was allotted. The typical time slot at Acoustics in the Quad was a half hour, roughly 20 minutes longer than the typical Open Mic Night set.

The increase in time was a welcomed change by the performers, as it allowed for a more intimate concert experience, and for the audience and performers to more easily get into the show.

Sierra Quiros, a senior who performed, enjoyed the change.

“I’ve only ever done open mics,” Quiros said. “I just thought it would be a cool experience to be in a show.”

Acoustics in the Quad proved to be the premiere place for new groups to cut their teeth. The event saw the live debut of two Oswego State-based groups, an a capella group The Emerald Five and punk-rock outfit Afterthoughts.

While the event did not draw as many people as he had hoped for, Radford said the small attendance for the event may have been a  good thing.

“The small amount of people that came gave the show a more chill atmosphere where the focus was on the music, and not really anything else,” he said.

This mentality was definitely held by those who attended the performance as well.

Perry Kennedy, a sophomore who attended the show, considered the event to be a great way to “bring people together and enjoy some good music.”

The idea for Acoustics in the Quad came to Radford last semester following the success of The WNYO Punk Rock Show.

“That motivated us to do more shows,” Radford said, adding that he bounced around ideas with WNYO Loud Rock Director, Lee Carlson, and eventually came up with the idea for Acoustics in the Quad.

Radford said he wanted something that was “accessible to kids on campus,” and that could take place during the fall semester. Radford eventually came up with the idea for Acoustics in the Quad and brought the idea to the WNYO eboard at the first meeting.

“Everyone was down for it,” Radford said. “Their support definitely helped.”

Radford hopes to build upon what went well at the show and improve some details in order to put on similar shows in the future.