On Friday, February 26, Second Date took the stage at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar in Downtown Charlottesville to close the night, following a series of other acts. The band consists of four talented UVA students—2nd Year Lona Manik on base and vocals, 1st Year Brian Cameron on guitar, 2nd Year Maria Dehart on drums, and 2nd Year Paul Sanders on guitar and vocals.
With a mellow and inviting atmosphere, Twisted Branch serves as the perfect venue for an indie rock band like Second Date. With Cameron describing the style of the group’s music as “chill and groovy,” and Manik throwing in “dreamy,” and “rock,” the eclectic style of Second Date is refreshing and unique. The group first formed when Dehart and Sanders played together in high school, and they soon brought friends Manik and Cameron into the mix at UVA.
“It’s cool because it’s a legitimate reason to play a lot of music,” Manik said.
“You really feel like you’re contributing to something, when you’re in a band,” Cameron added. “It feels really tangible then, when you’re surrounded not only by a group of people, but a group of people who you really love…you’re really pushed to perform well.”
The whole group agrees they want people to dance to their music and, when on stage, they certainly knew how to engage the crowd —audience members energetically jumped and moved to the music, embracing the fun the band provided. With songs ranging from the misty and pensive “Ghost,” to the more upbeat “Flake,” Second Date kept their audience entertained from beginning to end, dancing with them and making them feel a part of the performance and experience.
“You really feel like you create something that’s alive, which is really fulfilling,” Dehart said on performing.
For this UVA band, more performances are soon to come. This semester, the band is planning on performing in Richmond, and also hoping to play at a music festival in Harrisonburg. They are looking forward to making and performing more music, and are excited for future events where they’ll be able to share their love for music with each other and with their audiences. More music and plans for upcoming events and shows can be found on their bandcamp site.
“I just want people to have fun when they listen to our music,” Manik said, “Everything we do is for fun.
