The Colby Echo

Issue date: 9/16/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Caroline Dickson

Conceived by Colby students three years ago, Hill 'N the Ville has become a permanent autumn staple in downtown Waterville. It was created to push students to experience all that Waterville has to offer outside of the campus, and to unite the students with the local community. Last Saturday, the festival took place as a celebration of music, food and games on a small field behind Main Street, adjacent to the river. Students and community members showed up to close the space between town and gown, and though the attention was turned to the stage at the head of the grass, small tents and groups of people speckled the lawn.

Music, the heart of the festival, was glorified on a tall wooden stage with a Colby banner hanging above the black backdrop. The hard work put into the creation of the festival was evident immediately, as heavy instruments and wires spilled from the stage and band merchandise tables were set up on the sidelines. "We try to bring high caliber bands and want to continue to bring in big name music," said Shannon Haines, Executive Director of Waterville's Main Street Board of Directors. The lineup for the day was an impressive list of musicians: Sly-Chi, The Joint Chiefs (a Colby College band), Pete Francis (of Dispatch), Barefoot Truth and Chris Barron (of the Spin Doctors) were set to rock the stage.

The Joint Cheifs, the only Colby-fueled band to play, were the winners of last year's battle of the bands. The all-male guitar musicians took the stage in one of their first gigs together with their new members, but plan on playing more. "We'll probably play around Colby and maybe at some local bars," Zander Koallick '11 said, so they can stay on the local radar.

Nick Cunkelman '11 had the chance to interview Pete Francis, who is no stranger to Colby College. From the seat of his car, Francis said he was "psyched to do Hill 'N the Ville. All sorts of people come together." Though he is looking forward to creating a new album this coming fall and experimenting with drum tracks, he was also excited to get up and play for the people of Waterville. When asked what should be expected of his performance, he replied, "You'll see me with a guitar." True to his word, he made the crowd swoon to his roots-rock, and after a power outage caused complications, he came off the stage to host a sing along to "The General," one of Dispatch's most widely-known songs. Students crowded around him and belted out the lyrics confidently.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools