As Pali senior Addie Costain walked on to the temporary sound stage set up in the middle of Sony Studios, she looked out at the throng of swaying phone flashlights and gripped her glossy 1969 red Mustang guitar.
Costain, a self-identifying indie folk solo artist and winner of this year’s Palipalooza, reflected on her relationship with music.
“With all the craziness of the fires, music is something that I can always go back to, and it’s always going to be like a rock,” Costain said. “So having this opportunity to be here and play music is really important to me.”
Palipalooza, Pali’s annual battle of the bands, took place on Friday, Sep. 12 at Sony Pictures Studios. Pali’s Associated Student Body (ASB) organized the event, despite it historically being held during the spring semester, in order to have a fall social event in lieu of Pali’s homecoming dance which is now scheduled for the spring semester.
The event was spearheaded by ASB members Alice Amorim and Jackson Richmond. Amorim, the main coordinator of the event, explained how the organization of Palipalooza was difficult in a new environment.
“It was definitely not the same situation that we had before, especially because at Pali, all we had to do was bring stuff in from the music room,” Amorim said.
Even though Sony provided the venue to ASB for free, ASB still had to cover large additional costs for materials.
“At first, we had to make back $30,000…but we ended up being able to trim down that cost with a lot of donations,” she said. “We got a big donation from Rick Caruso, who is now banking the event.”
Despite the Sears building not having a strong intercom system, Richmond, the ASB commissioner of communications, continued to publicize the event using social media and the Leadership Show.
“I’ve been posting on Schoology every single day, putting up posters and we also have been using the Pali Instagram,” Richmond said.
In accordance with the variety of work involved in the event planning, the music genres performed also ranged widely, spanning from heavy metal screamo bands to folk soloists. Performances were marked by stories of heartfelt song origins, dance circles and impromptu throwback lip-syncs.
“There were more genres of bands this year than there were two years ago…a lot of bands were excited to play at Sony,” Amorim said.
Student performers utilized the opportunity to display their talent at Sony Studios, one seldom given to students. Over 100 guests were in attendance.
Costain recalled her preparation process from previous shows and compared it to her routine before performing at Sony.
“I remember showing up literally just in my clothes from that school day. And now this time, I’m a little bit more like ‘this is my show’ and I need to put on a good outfit and do my makeup,” Costain said.
Senior Mason Wiener, a first time Palipalooza performer and guitarist of the band Tone Def and the second-place winner, felt the event surpassed his expectations.
“I’ve never been to Palipalooza before, but when I walked in, I was super blown away by how professional it was,” Wiener said.
Beyond the visual execution, Costain also emphasized how crucial professional spaces like Sony are for fostering development among young artists.
“It’s important that Pali provides these spaces and events for creatives to meet up and play with each other, watch each other, learn from each other and to just have fun.”
