Cary Brothers, famous for his song ‘Blue Eyes’ featured on the ‘Garden State’ soundtrack, remembers the last time he was in Syracuse. Mostly because he wasn’t here by choice.

The singer was on the way to a show in Chicago when he got cught in a blizzard. The windows of the car were completely white and the windshield wiper fluid froze to the car. Eventually he had to pull over and find a motel to spend the night.

‘So that was my last experience with Syracuse,’ Brothers said.

Brothers will be co-headlining a performance at 8 p.m. with Gary Jules in the Schine Underground. Jules is also famous for his contributions to film soundtracks with his Tears for Fears cover song ‘Mad World,’ on the ‘Donnie Darko’ soundtrack.

‘As soon as people realize who the artists are, they are very excited for the show,’ said Sterling Proffer, co-president of the Bandersnatch Music Series and a sophomore television, radio and film and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major. ‘We have heard a lot of people saying that they love those movies and they love those songs and they are really excited to see them here.’

The two acts will be entirely acoustic. The concert will, therefore, be seated, instead of having the usual standing audience. While other venues have set up chairs for their events in the Underground, this is the first time Banderstanch has done it, said Ryan Raichilson, co-president of Bandersnatch and a junior accounting and marketing major.

The Underground will also be decorated for the acoustic feeling with tapestries and other decorations loaned from Off the Beaten Path, a store on Marshall Street. These decorations are going to be used in hopes of creating a more artsy atmosphere for the show, Raichilson said.

The newly created unusual environment is all part of Proffer’s plan to not only bring new music to SU, but new settings to listen to them in as well. Jules and Brothers are two artists who routinely play at an acoustic venue called The Hotel Caf in Los Angeles, which is an amazing place to hear music, Proffer said.

‘I really love the vibe of (The Hotel Caf), so I wanted to recreate that acoustic setting on campus,’ Proffer said.

Brothers, who just finished a two-month national tour, said he is looking forward to his time alone on stage at SU.

‘I’m really excited to play,’ Brothers said. ‘I have a bunch of friends who went to school here and I’ve been hearing about it for a long time.’

According to Bandersnatch’s Web site, the organization brings lesser-known artists to SU, including indie rock, punk, reggae and hip-hop. This year, it has already sponsored performances by such artists as Wolf Parade, Mae and Mates of State. Jules and Brothers are perfect examples of Bandersnatch’s overall goal because of the diversity the two acts bring to music scene at SU, said Adam Gorode, executive director of University Union Concerts and a senior music industry major.

‘College students are the most open-minded with music,’ Gorode said. ‘So (Bandersnatch is) exposing people to music they haven’t heard but artists they have heard of.’

To promote the show, Bandersnatch has been using new techniques in addition to its traditional e-mails and fliers around campus. Since the artists are better know for their association with movies, members of Bandersnatch have been sending a personalized message to anyone interested in ‘Donnie Darko’ or ‘Garden State.’

‘Over 500 people have ‘Donnie Darko’ in their profile … (so) it’s a great tool for advertising,’ Raichilson said. ‘You find out your core audience who would be interested.’

The advertising seems to be working because people on campus are excited about the show, Gorode said.

‘I got a Facebook message about the guy who sings ‘Mad World’ and the guy from ‘Garden State’ were going to be here,’ said Fred Purse, a sophomore finance and marketing major. ‘I might attend the show, (but) I wouldn’t have heard about the show any other way.’

Overall the members of Bandersnatch think it is going to be a very exciting show. As of yesterday, tickets could still be bought at the Schine Box Office, but due to the limited amount of seating, it is expected to sell out before it starts.

‘I am excited that Bandersnatch has had such a successful and diverse musical year, and this (show) can continue to contribute to that that fact,’ Proffer said.

IF YOU GO

What: Cary Brothers and Gary Jules

When: Tonight at 8

Where: Schine Student Center Underground

Price: $5 with a valid SU ID, $10 without

Published on March 20, 2006 at 12:00 pm