Students laid out blankets to sit and watch the performances from the shaded tree line. Students would occasionally leave their blankets to watch the artists close up, singing and cheering for performers. Games were also set around the lawn, such as jenga, connect four and cornhole that students were constantly playing. Snacks offered to attendees included pizza and popcorn. (Emilio Casanova / Hilltop Views)
Brady Kupicko is a member of Topper Radio who was in charge of the games held on the lawn. Kupicko runs his own station on Fridays that plays country and folk music including artists such as Zach Brown and Kahan. He believes that Topper Radio is a good way to explore music saying that, “you get a lot of fun experiences with music.” Kupicko also talked a little about “Losers.” ”Their lyrics were pretty sick,” he said. “I like country music, but I still thought they were good.” (Emilio Casanova / Hilltop Views)Hillie Lyman is an indie pop artist who has been making music on and off for years. Lyman heard about Topper Radio through a colleague who worked there and played her music on the radio station. Eventually, she was invited to perform for Blues on the Hilltop, which she thought was wonderful. “Everybody was super nice and really welcoming,” Lyman said. “I felt my needs were really tended to.” Lyman has been performing more recently after some time off after the COVID-19 pandemic. She went through many challenges but feels that time has changed how she approaches her music with a new understanding of herself.Local band Losers attracted a large crowd as their performance began. Throughout their set, the crowd sang along with the band. Losers also asked the crowd to participate in a call and response with their song “Everyone Hates the NRA,” making their performance more exciting. Junior Lola Claire and senior Sienna Wight can be seen screaming their lyrics as they jump in excitement. (Emilio Casanova / Hilltop Views)Losers hit every cue throughout the night. Frontwoman Lily Wilson spoke on the group’s synergy. “We have songs that we won’t touch for weeks and weeks that we’ll say let’s play it to see how it goes and we’ll slay it,” Wilson said. Bassist and fellow Hilltopper Claire Lawrence and guitarist Than Neville showcase this by shredding their guitars face to face flawlessly. It was clear that the stage was natural to the band. (Emilio Casanova / Hilltop Views)Wilson has been with the band since the beginning. She first joined the band as background vocals but was soon asked by her bandmates Lawrence and Neville if she wanted to be the lead vocalist, which she was completely down for. After some time the group looked for new members. “We tried out several people, but it was never quite right,” Wilson said. Eventually the band added second guitarist Charlie Wood and drummer Ethan Davis and have been growing together ever since. (Emilio Casanova / Hilltop Views)Alexi Hill, also known as Alexi 8bit, is a full-time Austin musician and producer who creates indie-pop music. Alexi 8bit was invited to Blues on the Hilltop by Topper Radio and was happy to perform. “I love interacting with student groups, because I feel that my music often appeals to this generation,” Hill said. She finds inspiration from many genres and artists but noted Amy Winehouse as a huge influence. “Her lower register and deep cutting lyrics they’re very incisive,” Hill said. “I like that.” Hill also talked about her experience as her own producer as she wanted to have her own creative control over her sound. “Music is about play, it’s about fun, expressing yourself, experimenting in this fun joyous way that only us humans get to do,” she said.
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