By: Shane Bagot, Follow South Jersey Community Journalist
GLASSBORO, NJ – Alexander Quinn and Liz Baginski’s Midnight Sun Collective, a booking and sound collective, had their Nitelite Festival on March 27 on Rowan University’s University Green.
The event was a part of the two’s capstone project for their class. They have held previous events for the last few months leading up to this. Through volunteer help and fundraising efforts, the collective successfully hosted a well-attended event.
Nitelite Festival was a way to bring representation to the local art and music scene in the area. This goes for not only the six bands that performed a range of “lighter” music to “darker” music as the night went on. Additionally, a dozen vendors showcased their own creations.
One of these vendors was Ramsey Malone, who was selling jewelry that they were inspired to make from seeing others online do it. The jewelry included keychains and earrings based on kids’ toys.
For Malone, this is a way of expressing himself, and he was thankful for the opportunity for his style to be seen.
“I like seeing people get excited about seeing something different, because a lot of my stuff isn’t the traditional jewelry styles you might see in a store. I think a lot of younger people like to see that kind of stuff. They like to see a more customized jewelry that represents what their interests are, what they’re into,” said Malone.
While there were vendors with their own creations, there were just as many showing off their collections of merchandise. Some included vintage comics and toys.
Paul Kovac had his vintage clothes from the 1980s to the 2000s on display. Kovac started his collection with band shirts, and it would grow from there into a business. This was one of the more popular vendors at the festival.
What he cared about was helping further sustainable fashion and practices.
“Probably knowing that we are saving clothes from the landfill, putting pre-owned clothes in people’s hands, and helping the environment as a whole,” said Kovac.
After attendees had taken a look through the vendors, they could take a break and enjoy the music. Which in the beginning of the festival, was the lighter side of the lineup. This included bands like Trenton’s Hubbell Benson, who played soft indie pop and rock with a mix of psychedelia.
The same soothing sounds would be quickly gone as night fell and the darker bands came on, like Yet it Moves, a hard-hitting band from Delaware that got the crowd jumping and moshing. The crowds grew bigger, and the pushing intensified as people would be thrown to the ground.
Festival attendees Taylor Raney and Augustus Foster were fans of Yet it Moves set and the crowd that was cultivated. Invited by one of the vendors, Raney and Foster were excited to support what they thought was such a cool idea for a school project.
Raney specifically appreciated the festival for what it is trying to do and represents for the community.
“I think everybody here is more or less on the same page; it’s all just good people. People appreciate music and art, and it’s cool to have this big collective of that. It’s more important than ever. I believe music is always like a protest, in a way. I think that’s cool, stuff like this is important,” said Raney.
For Foster, it was a chance, like many, to be introduced to new music. He was already a metal and punk music fan, but was impressed by Yet it Moves.
“I love coming to these events because you never know who the bands are gonna be, and they’re always way cooler than you’re expecting,” said Foster.
Quinn and Baginski were thrilled with the outcome of the event. It was more successful than they could have anticipated it would be.
Baginski notes there were some hiccups throughout with vendors and a possible reschedule due to rain. The team was able to get through it, and their vision was fully realized.
“It just showed me how great of a community we really do have. Showcasing like different artists and bringing together so many different people, it just made me very happy. It was very rewarding, I 100% think that we created something really great,” said Baginski.
They want to keep the momentum going from this, as they are looking to pursue this more in the future. From the experience to the support received, there are plans to talk and discuss more events.
“We really wanted to make it go beyond just Rowan. We wanted it to become part of the community. I really feel like it reached that. I made a lot of connections and friends that day. I hope everybody there took something meaningful with them,” said Baginski.
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