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The Scarlet & Black

The Scarlet & Black

Mark Trecka complements Bob’s Underground

Mark Trecka, an accordion player and lyricist, performed in Bob’s Underground Café last Tuesday, March 1. Trecka appeared last semester with his band Pillars and Tongues and received a strong reception then, but people seemed less excited about his one-man show.

Musician Mark Trecka performs at Bob’s Underground Cafe on Tuesday night, driving over 14 hours from Colorado Springs earlier that day. Photo taken by Aaron Barker.

“That was a very similar show. But he had the drum machine…for a couple of his early tracks,” said Pooj Padmaraj ’13 of his concert last semester.

Although Bob’s hosted a full crowd on Tuesday, Trecka seemed to primarily be playing for himself. His first song was mostly vocal, but he blended in his accordion to complement his lyrics. As he became more expressive with his music, some students lost themselves in the flow.

“You get entrenched with it, and you lose yourself in his music,” Padmaraj said.

Trecka’s accordion accompanied by his voice added to the fluidity and motion—the lack of beat made it easy for listeners to lose their way. He did bring in a beat in later songs, but the percussion was clearly not the main focus. Overall, it was a very low-key show. As usual, the atmosphere in Bob’s was very relaxing and casual— Trecka’s performance was very compatible with the scene.

“His music is very conducive to this atmosphere. If this was to be held in a bigger setting like Gardner, it would not retain the audience structure,” Padmaraj said. “The intimacy of his performance fit here because it’s more intimate. He could basically talk to the audience. It carries much better in this place, not so much in a big hall.”

During the concert, most people were doing their own work while some were chatting with friends—the music didn’t seem to interrupt them at all.

“It was more like background,” said audience member Leah Yacknin-Dawson ’13. “I thought it was awesome—I love his music.”

-compiled by Kevin Hong

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