The band Gent Treadly performed for an enthusiastic audience at Donovan’s Pub on Friday, February 19. Greg Koerner ‘88, founded Gent Treadly, and came back to Colgate as the band’s bassist. Gent Treadly blends together the music styles of rock and jazz to create exciting and upbeat songs. The Paul J. Schupf Presidential Discretionary Fund sponsored the event, along with the class of 2019, Broad Street Records and the Colgate Music department. Before the concert, the band ran a master class to share their experiences with upcoming musicians. First-year president Mike Vitale spoke about the band’s past success.

“I’m overjoyed to be introducing a group of guys with some serious rhythm. Their decorated record of performances include hundreds of events at theatres, clubs, you name it. They’ve backed music legends such as Vince Welnick of the Grateful Dead, Garth Hudson of The Band, and New Orleans’ piano legend Henry Butler,” Vitale said.

A brief interview that the Gent Treadly event page on Facebook posted showed Koerner’s excitement at performing at Colgate.

“It is always a true pleasure to be able to get up to my alma mater where I still have many dear friends like Colgate trustee emeritus Paul J. Schupf ‘58, who has been instrumental in bringing Gent Treadly back to play on and off campus in Hamilton on many joyous occasions over the years. I am really looking forward to sharing the stage with a true luminary, the saxophone colossus Charles Neville, from the first family of New Orleans funk, The Neville Brothers,” Koerner said.

 Gent Treadly performed many original songs throughout the night, all of which were very upbeat and engaging. The small setting of Donovan’s Pub really helped the audience and the band connect. The energy radiating from the band made the experience even more enjoyable.

Charles Neville, a famous saxophone player from New Orleans, accompanied Gent Treadly at the concert. Neville originally had success in his family funk band, The Neville Brothers. At the concert, Gent Treadly even played one of The Neville Brothers’ songs, “Fire on the Bayou.” A few Colgate students played alongside the band for a large portion of the night, showing how incredible it is for musicians and Colgate students to perform on the same stage.

“They had an eclectic sound that was easy to listen to, fun and upbeat,” first-year John Bennett said.

“It was so cool to see so many great musicians in one place, and the various

improvisations they did were amazing. They did so many different songs and different solos that the entire concert was fun and entertaining to listen to,” first-year Maggie McDonnell said.

The concert ended with an encore, where the band performed an instrumental

version of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Gent Treadly’s high-energy

performance was a perfect event to bring music lovers together.