Two Daily Cal girls talk Berkeley fashion and getting groovy at Grizzly Peak | Art To Heart

Students reflect on the atmosphere and musical performances from the Grizzly Peak Band Night. 

Taline: What did you think of Grizzly Peak Band Night?

Tarini: This was my first time! It’s always unsettling figuring out how to get to an event using just coordinates, but I ended up liking the night a lot more than I expected. The decor was cute, the location was cute. There was a beautiful sunset — I always forget that the Bay Area has great sunsets and viewpoints. 

Taline: Yeah! It was a really fun atmosphere that the “secret” location added to. There were a lot of cool people dancing. The whole event had an artsy vibe, but it was also indie, outdoorsy, even “granola.” I enjoy being in a space like that, especially getting to see all the fashion! What did you think about everyone’s outfits?

Tarini: It was definitely a long skirt and denim jacket type of day! That uniformity was interesting because everyone was still wearing their own unique outfit. 

Taline: A friend that we took with us described the fashion as almost having a “Santa Cruz vibe,” which I thought was fun, being able to define a look by a city. I think the fashion at Grizzly Peak felt very “Berkeley” to me: It was outdoorsy, had a lot of denim, cowboy boots — but there was something very late ’60s, early ’70s about it. There were a lot of big hoop earrings and a lot of colorful scarves. Everyone seemed to be wearing stuff that they could move around in, which I think was most important. Some people even had their shoes off!

Tarini: They’re braver than me for having their shoes off on the hill. It was very Berkeley. What did you think of the music?

Taline: Overall, I really enjoyed the music. I absolutely loved Wet Denim. They did a mashup of “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse with “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson. I love both of those songs so much. “Upside Down” was a really sweet addition, because that song is just so summery. Their whole set was very upbeat, bubbly and groovy. The lead singer had such a classic voice. There was a bit of an oldies influence in the way she handled the lyrics. 

Tarini: I liked their first song a lot, the one they blended into “Hey Jude.” Having a few minutes of instrumental in this song gave people the chance to enjoy the music and to talk to each other. And when they sang the lyrics, “You know that love survives/ so we can rock forever,” everyone was grooving along. What did you think of the next band? 

Taline: Violet Eyes had great instrumentals. The guitarists were on point. I love their cover of “Someday” by The Strokes. What’s interesting is that all of these bands covered iconic songs. In a way, it was helpful because it allowed the crowd to get involved. It’s a good way to introduce yourself to a student audience. But I do think that when a cover sounds different from the original, it won’t work for everyone in the audience. At one point, the lead singer was literally singing “meow, meow, meow,” I was like, okay we’re just having a good time, we’re just joking around. That was a fun energy.

Tarini: I thought their sound was very raw and unique, but came right after a mellow band that the crowd had already adored. Their set was still enjoyable though, and I love The Strokes. You can always get me with a Strokes cover. The next band we saw was Midnight Mirage.

Taline: My favorite! I was obsessed with them. The lead singer’s voice was so beautiful. She had a great vocal tone and her voice caught the lyrics in such a satisfying way that really made it her own. I was so obsessed with the set list, “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” by Jeff Buckley and “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver — which everyone sang. Each song had a totally different vibe each time, but they managed to perform it cohesively. It made it exciting to hear what they would play next. The audience at that point had become a huge crowd that was reciprocating the band’s high energy.

Tarini: I thought that the harmonies between the lead singer and the other male voice were beautiful. It was a good choice to have multiple covers of songs that are regaining fame right now, because it created a sort of palpable energy within the crowd. 

Taline: It was such a Friday night!

Tarini: It was definitely a Friday night. It’s always lovely to see the Berkeley community show up for other students, and show up for art! The combination of those two things, student-created art, is so wonderful to see. I also love seeing artists refuse to tailor themselves to the mainstream and continue to make art for the sake of it.

Taline: It’s really awesome that the Cal Hiking and Outdoor Society and the Cal Ski and Snowboard Club curated this. I did go last year, and it was really fun being able to go again. It’s always a good time, it’s always a party, but like you said, it’s especially meaningful to support local and student bands. It makes me really excited about the artistic talent in Berkeley. There’s so much to do and see, and I’m sure there’s a million more band nights to go to.