On Saturday, April 2nd, West Core will host Rawr Rawr Rawr Fest at Normal West High School. This will be the second annual festival hosted by West Core after the inaugural six hour concert was a huge success.

This year, the festival will begin at 6 p.m. and will go until 10 p.m. and will take place in the Senior Cafeteria at West. While there were complications last year with allowing students from outside of Normal West, this year everyone is allowed so that students can feel free to invite their friends and family.

With nine artists on the bill, the $5 charge for tickets to the festival are quite low. Bands playing at the show are from all around the state of Illinois, including two artists who are students at Normal West.

Brandon Cary (12) and Leah Marlene (9) will be showcasing their talents throughout the festival. Brandon will be performing as Classic Schmosby and will be drumming in his band, Call Me in the Morning. Leah will follow Brandon’s acoustic act with an acoustic performance of her own.

When asked about being in Rawr Rawr Rawr Fest for a second year, Brandon said, “I’m so excited that West Core has been able to have a festival at this school and I’m really excited to be a part of it again. Last year went way better than expected and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this year turns out.”

West Core, a club founded by Hudson May (12) and Cary, gives students the opportunity to talk about their interests in playing instruments and listening to alternative music and it was founded last school year.

Hudson shared his excitement for this year’s festival by stating, “I am hopeful that this year’s festival will be every bit as successful as last year. I’ve seen most of the bands performing and they are very talented and I hope students here at West will think the same.”

The money raised by ticket sales from the festival will be donated to PunkTalks, a charity created to provide free mental health services for touring musicians and workers in the music industry.

Tickets are just $5 for the 4 hour festival. Photo by Cody Gastel.