Born and raised in the “Empire State” of New York to living in the “Golden State” of California, hip-hop artist Bryce Vine is making an appearance at Northern Michigan University.
Northern Arts and Entertainment (NAE) presents the Trendsetter Tour for the third time at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4 in the Explorer Rooms of the University Center.
The Trendsetter Tour helps bring up and coming artists to colleges across the nation before they become too popular, according to senior public relations major Chris Salgot, NAE’s social media chair. Through the process, the college’s agent picks a genre and from there, the agent chooses a performer.
“This semester hip-hop won so our agent hand-picked an up and coming musician, Bryce Vine,” Salgot said.
Trendsetter offers a variety of genres and performers.
“Each time, it has been a different genre which is nice because we are able to give students a lot of variety,” Salgot said.
Vine’s sound is “a keen blend of singable radio-friendly pop and laid back, in-the-cut hip-hop,” according to the vocalist’s official Facebook page.
His song “Where the Wild Things Are,” from his EP “Lazy Fair,” has been named the official 2014 X Games Theme Song.
Welcoming big named artists and bands to NMU is always an enjoyable experience, according to Salgot, however, ticket rates for big-name artists and bands can be offered at a higher rate. NAE recognizes that not everyone has the extra spending cash.
“Despite the fact that we enjoy bringing bigger-name artists, we recognize that sometimes tickets for those shows can be up to $20,” Salgot said. “College students don’t usually have much expendable money, so it is great to provide them with some quality entertainment at no cost to them.”
The trendsetter tour originated in fall 2013, according to Salgot. Makeshift Prodigy and Echosmith have both made appearances at NMU through the tour.
Sophomore nursing major Molly Schaller was happy to see Echosmith come to NMU for the Trendsetter Tour during the Winter 2014 semester.
“I saw EchoSmith last February,” Schaller said. “I love hearing all kinds of music. I think they should keep bringing new artists here to perform.”
Echosmith was named one of MTV’s “Artist to Watch” in 2014, according to MTV’s website.
The Trendsetter Tour is 100 percent free-of-cost to Northern Michigan University students who present their NMU ID. Non-NMU students have a cost of $2 at the doors.
“We hope to provide returning students with a great concert and even better memories,” Salgot said. “Whether you’re a new student or a senior, we hope you come out to the concert, enjoy yourselves, and make some new friends while you’re at it.”
Northern Arts and Entertainment is confident in the quality, experience and increasing success of the Trendsetter Tour here at Northern Michigan University, according to senior public relations major Jordan Paquet, who has been involved with NAE for 4 years. Serving as a secretary and vice president, Paquet upholds the presidential role of the student organization.
“NAE feels strongly that these are quality concerts and we’re excited to show that to them once again with Bryce Vine,” Paquet said. “This concert keeps getting bigger because students realize we wouldn’t be bringing these groups unless we knew how great they were.”
Looking at the future of Northern Arts and Entertainment, the group sees the music-filled time as a recruitment opportunity, according to Paquet.
“It’s the best way, and most rewarding way, to gain new members. We bring quality music to students, meet the artists, work on promotion, production and day-of set up,” Paquet said.
Vine’s newly-released album “Lazy Fair” can be found in stores, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and more.
For more information on Bryce Vine’s performance at NMU or how to join NAE, check out Northern Arts and Entertainment on Facebook, @NAEofNMU on Twitter and posters presented around NMU’s campus.
