Ella Mitchell, Photography Editor
It seemed that spring weather had finally settled in at Sewanee on that warm, Friday night, creating a bustling weekend of band parties, day parties, formals and much more. At Phi on March 20, alt-rock band Lightwatch took to the stage for a show. The Sewanee Purple caught up with Lightwatch a couple days later to interview them on their experience performing at Sewanee.
The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Trey Nichols, lead guitarist and contributor to vocals Emmett Redding, bassist Tony “The Hammer” Martelli and drummer Dylan Johnson.
Lightwatch describes their sound as “just straight up, honest rock n’ roll. We sway between both ends of heavy and commercial, with influences ranging from Deftones and Audioslave to Oasis, Manchester Orchestra and Foo Fighters.”
Their sound was a hit at Sewanee and a welcome change from the many country-inspired bands who often play in our area. The crowd was packed and enthusiastic throughout the entire show.
We were curious about Lightwatch’s background and if Sewanee was a big change from their unusual venues. When asked what type of shows they usually play, they said: “We play all over the U.S., whether it’s a college party, bar, music hall, theater, festival, you name it. Wherever they let us get loud!”
Lightwatch also shared that they’re no stranger to Sewanee. “We played at Sewanee last spring for Sigma Nu and had an absolute blast,” they said. “We were stoked to come back, and you guys didn’t disappoint.”
Sewanee students are very aware that we operate a little differently from other colleges. When asked how different Sewanee shows were from other shows Lightwatch usually plays, they shared: “For Sewanee to be tucked away in the South as it is, you guys don’t shy away from the rock stuff. Some people in our region turn their nose up when they hear anything that isn’t country, but you guys get down with us. That’s what we love. It’s always a party, and we love a good party.”
Lightwatch’s favorite thing about Sewanee was the crowd of enthusiastic students singing along. “You were front row the whole time, singing the songs back to us—even jamming to our originals. That means the world to us. As fun as it is to play our favorite rock covers, connecting with fans through our own songs is unmatched.”
Lightwatch chose three words to describe a Sewanee show: “Rowdy, friendly, party!” I think Sewanee students would agree with this description!
We closed out our interview with Lightwatch by asking if they had any pre-show rituals. They explained: “We like to huddle up before most shows and say a quick prayer. Just reminding ourselves how grateful we are to be doing what we’re doing with our best friends.” They are no stranger to post-show rituals either. “After the show,” they said. “Waffle Houses hate to see us coming.”
Overall, Lightwatch played a great show for a great first official warm weather weekend. Maybe we’ll catch them around Sewanee again in the future!