By Erika Kuehl | Staff Writer
Freight Waco has made it easy for student musicians to experience performing in front of an audience, even in a city where nightlife isn’t the main attraction.
The Colony junior and Sunnn guitarist Matthew Fisanick said the process of performing at Freight has been a simple one.
“We’ve always really loved the vibe there,” Fisanick said. “We actually joke about it and say Freight feels like our home when we perform there. They make it super easy. They’re super nice to us. They kind of just let us do our thing.”
Fisanick said at least 300 people showed up at a show at Freight last year to hear Sunnn play. That show provided the band with an opportunity to close for Annabelle Chairlegs — a performer at Austin City Limits.
“The exposure that we get from it is really good as well,” Fisanick said. “Our Freight shows — a lot of them — had a lot of people turn up, so that’s been really good for us.”
Idabel, Okla., junior and student musician Browning Snider echoed Fisanick, saying his first paid gigs at Freight helped him get his name out there while having the support of other Baylor students.
“Definitely helps with my exposure — that’s the No. 1 thing,” Snider said. “No one’s going to listen to your stuff if they don’t know who you are or that you exist, so it’s definitely helped with that and also helped me just play in front of people live and try to learn how to interact with the crowd well.”
Nashville senior Brooks McSpadden works at Freight and helps book shows. He said it gives him the chance to find talent on campus and build relationships with student musicians.
“I just started booking all of them, and they’re pretty low cost too, but I also figured that it’s one of the only places they can play,” McSpadden said. “And if I’m a plug — like a connection for them — and I can book them for fairly cheap but give them a little extra spare money, then they can play and gain some experience. So it’s a win-win for both of us.”
Lubbock junior Graham St.Clair is the lead singer of Graham St.Clair and the West Texas Wind. He said he performed alone during his high school years before he began playing with his current band, and the staff at Freight has always been helpful and eager to book them for live performances.
“I’ve played at Freight a bunch of times,” St.Clair said. “I used to play there just as a solo musician — acoustic shows — and that’s something that I’ve done since high school. Freight always seems to have an audience that is very interested and engaged, and it’s a super fun atmosphere for us on the stage.”
St.Clair said one of the best parts of performing at Freight is building a fan population that will last longer because of the Baylor connection.
“Waco doesn’t have a huge live music scene, so when we first started, we didn’t really know where to play or what to do,” St.Clair said. “We didn’t know how to get our name out there, and Freight has provided just an incredible opportunity for us to get our name out there.”
