By Grace Hooley | Echo
In a matter of days, this tiny campus in Upland will come to life with beautifully obnoxious reunions in local residence halls. The student organizations Integration of Faith and Culture and Mainstage decided there would be no better time to have a concert than during the reuniting of new and old friends alike.
Thursday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. Johnnyswim will be performing live in Rediger Auditorium. Senior Johannah Lindsay, IFC president, and junior Jazmin Tuscani, Mainstage president, decided on a Johnnyswim concert toward the end of last semester. The group was doing a tour in the Midwest, and Lindsay and Tuscani both enjoy the band. For budget and marketing reasons, they decided to combine their organizations to host this event together.
"Mainstage is only in its second year and IFC has traditionally been more low-key when it comes to programming, but we both wanted to get more traction early on to show students on campus who we are and what great events we are preparing to bring to Taylor," Tuscani said.
Amanda Sudano Ramirez and Abner Ramirez, otherwise known as Johnnyswim, met in Nashville. They started to work on songs together, and then moved to Los Angeles where they got married, had a baby and still continue their career to this day. Their genre of music is seen as a mixture of pop with some country twang thrown in, and they have been featured on various television shows.
Lindsay and Tuscani were in contact with Johnnyswim's agency, Paradigm Talent, which is based in Beverly Hills, California. Paradigm Talent, as well as Steve Austin, the director of student programs and their supervisor, helped them along. Lindsay and Tuscani wanted to bring in a band that would be unique but also bring many groups of people together.
"Why not Johnnyswim?!?" Tuscani said. "They bring a new level to the whole Christian Acoustic scene and their voices are something else. Their humility and talent are such a great blend also. If you don't know why Johnnyswim, you should definitely look them up. Then buy tickets. Then attend the show. Then rest up for Friday classes."
The show invites families, students and faculty alike. Tickets are $15 for a Taylor student with their ID, $20 for local college students with their current ID and current Taylor faculty, staff and their children and $25 for the general audience. Tickets are also available at https://johnnyswimliveattayloru.eventbrite.com.
A new season is beginning here at Taylor University, and while many events are going on around this time, IFC and Mainstage hope this event will be one to cherish and remember long after. Lindsay and Tuscani are excited to put on a show such as this one, and they cannot wait to see what their cabinets will take on next.
"(It is) a good time with friends and a great memory for the start of the year." Lindsay said. "(It may be) even a new band to add to their music playlists. Come! Bring your friends and enjoy the night with us!"
