If you go to Chatham University and have not heard the news, here is a recap: we are trying to get a big-name performer to come to our campus! My friend showed me the website where acts have listed how much it costs for a college to book them, and asked me to look through and see if any of them caught my eye. Well, one of them did, one of them definitely did, and I am writing this article to share them with you all, because I am quite passionate about the idea of them playing a show here. The band is called PVRIS.
PVRIS (pronounced "Paris") are a small alternative band who has made a home for themselves in the scene of Warped Tour-related acts, but could easily appeal to a wider crowd. They are fairly new; the band has one album that came out almost a year ago, and they were signed to their label last summer. Although they still count as a small band, their fanbase has been growing at a rapid pace, thanks to tours with larger bands like Pierce The Veil and Bring Me The Horizon. In fact, this past summer on Warped Tour, PVRIS had been scheduled to play one of the smaller stages of the tour, but were then bumped up to a main stage because their crowds were so large! Booking them would draw in crowds from all over Pittsburgh, and probably further as well, because much of their fanbase is known to travel around the country just to see them play. Also, due to the band's growing popularity, once they truly hit it big Chatham will be able to say that they played here first!
You're probably thinking, "Great, they're popular, everybody loves them...but why should I love them? Why should I want them here?" Well you see, my sweet fellow Chatham student, PVRIS just so happens to promote all of the values that you love. First of all, the band's singer (and sometimes guitarist) is a young woman by the name of Lynn Gunn. If you are at all familiar with this particular alternative scene, you will know that there is a great lack of female representation within it. In fact, PVRIS is the first and only band signed to their label that features a female member of the band. Lynn constantly encourages her female fans not to be afraid to speak up and make names for themselves, which is also one of Chatham's main values! On top of that, Lynn is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and the band as a whole promote values of acceptance and encouragement for anyone who may be struggling with their identities.
"Okay, so they sound pretty cool, but can we afford them?" The answer is yes! Actually, PVRIS is so affordable, that we would have enough money left over to book a second act! And so, here is a recap of why we should book PVRIS to perform here at Chatham: They're well-liked and getting more popular by the day, they promote values of women's empowerment and leadership as well as LGBTQIA+ rights, and they cost only $5-7000, a small fraction of our budget.
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