Sierra Sikora, sophomore in Media, has created her own community within the Champaign-Urbana music scene.
Last year, Sikora met Laney Toffler, senior in ACES and lead singer of the band Hollow, at a house show. At a different house show, she met Angelo Babista, sophomore in FAA and bassist for Lackadays, who later became the bassist for her band.
Recently, Sikora enlisted Toffler and Babista, among other local artists, to play at Pocketfest, a musical showcase she has curated with Max Crutcher, sophomore in Media.
The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center will host Pocketfest on Friday and will also feature 15 thrift vendors for attendees to shop from in between music sets. Sikora and Crutcher planned six bands for the show lineup, and each will play 30-minute sets.
“There’s a bustling music community here in Chambana,” Crutcher said. “I think we’re just trying to target people who would typically go to those DIY house shows in Urbana.”
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Sikora and Crutcher met through Star Course, a live concert planning organization. Using the skills from the student-run group, the two have spent the past few months creating the event. Sikora wanted the event to be “pocket-sized,” hence the name.
“I’m really passionate about local music, so I wanted it all to be local artists,” Sikora said.
Part of supporting local artists means paying them for their time and work. Although attending Pocketfest is free, 100% of the thrifting vendor fees will go toward paying for the venue and compensating artists. To further support their artists, the organizers planned the event during the day so performers could still play house shows at night.
At Pocketfest, artists can showcase their talents on stage and support other C-U bands. According to Toffler, who joined Hollow her sophomore year, the local music scene is tight-knit.
“I love hearing all the other bands,” Toffler said. “That’s always my favorite part of shows, just being able to hear what everyone’s up to … One of my favorite parts about the community here is there’s so many different genres and so much that each band … brings to the table.”
C-U has dozens of small independent bands and artists. Shows like Pocketfest are vital to keeping the music community on campus alive, according to Michael Amberg, sophomore in LAS and lead singer of Lackadays.
“There are so many people who are doing amazing things down here, and it’s so important to give them a reason to keep going,” Amberg. “It is so important to be a local music scene that supports other artists growing, because that’s how you get good art.”
Media alum and indie-pop singer Mariela Lopez, who goes by the stage name roseli, will also perform at Pocketfest. Aside from the artists themselves, Lopez emphasizes the importance of supporting student-run music events.
“There are a good amount of music festivals here in Urbana, but not a lot of them,” Lopez said. “I really think that opportunities like this — to host events, to host festivals, to host vendor events — are really great experiences, and just to see where the student community is going.”
