Radio UTD kicked off its annual concert event to promote talented student bands and the radio-station itself on March 19 with performances from By Starlight, Blue Mantra, and Spud.

“This concert is meant to promote awareness of the radio station,” said Jay Miller, student media adviser. “And part of our mission is to bring good, local music to the UTD community.”

By Starlight set the course for the show with great vocals and clean instrumentation. Following was a solid acoustic set of blues, jazz and funk by Blue Mantra, which melded perfectly into the closing performance by Spud, who performed funk with a helping of covers that the audience

ate up, including Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music, White Boy” and “Fire” by the Ohio Players.

The concert was a pleasant, low-intensity experience stationed in front of the Student Union where listeners could stand or lounge on the grass under the stars. Student bands can sometimes serve as a deterrent to music appreciators, but these were certainly worth their salt.

“This was the inaugural concert for Radio UTD,” said Radio UTD DJ Geoff Barry, junior government and politics. “It was a good show and there are plans for one next year that will hopefully be better than ever.”

Hopefully, UTD students can anticipate hearing more for talented local music. The Radio UTD concert was definitely a step in the right direction.