On Saturday, April 6, SSU’s Associated Students Productions (ASP) hosted their annual showcase, Seawolves Got Talent, in Ballroom A on the Student Center’s third floor. Lasting from 7 to approximately 8:15 p.m., the ticket and price-free event comprised eight performances featuring 10 students and one SSU alum.
ASP decorated the ballroom with a set of audience chairs and a table serving pizza and beverages. On both ends of the stage were two projector screens displaying each performer’s name and picture. As performances took place, most student attendees sat in seats closest to the stage as they conversed with their groups of friends.
Throughout Seawolves Got Talent, all student performers musically showcased their talents. Most of the performers sang covers of previously recorded songs. One of those students was Saffron Walter, a fourth-year communication and media studies major.
Walter performed at Seawolves Got Talent for several years before the April 6, showcase, where she sang a cover of Linkin Park’s 2011 single “Iridescent.” “I always like to perform [Iridescent], and I wanted to put a lot of emotion into it,” Walter said. “The song is very special to me and represents me a lot.”
Other students performed original work, including local punk band Ded Reks. The band showcased two of their originals, “Blues Cruz” and “You or Me,” while also covering Sublime’s “Santeria” and Green Day’s “Brain Stew.” Vocalist and co-guitarist Jude Wallace helped form Ded Reks during his first year at SSU. “When we all played together, [the band] just flowed together so perfectly,” Wallace said.
Now a second-year liberal studies student, Wallace describes “Blues Cruz” as having significant meaning about his first year at college. “Writing it made me feel less lost and more secure in what I was doing,” Wallace said.
ASP concluded Seawolves Got Talent by announcing three finalists for the showcase. A front-row panel of two judges ultimately decided Walter as the evening’s winner, preceding fourth-year biochemistry student Brittney Glor, who was awarded second place. Walter expressed surprise at her victory. “I was a bit in shock, and I wasn’t expecting to get anything,” Walter said.
Placing third in the competition, Ded Reks plans to perform on April 20, in Sausalito and is preparing to write and publish more music. “Expect us to cause the biggest ruckus Rohnert Park has seen,” Wallace said. To stay posted on the band, follow @ded.reks on Instagram for more information.
