The Guitar Club at Slippery Rock University provides students with a relaxing space to get away from the classroom and connect with other students through music. The organization has been at SRU for about five years. The club is always seeking new members, those with or without experience.
The club meets every Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Swope Music Hall room 135.
President of the Guitar Club, Eric Maloney, a senior computer science major with a minor in communications, has been a member of the organization since his freshman year. Maloney spoke about what a typical meeting is like for the club.
“It is a really laid back, casual environment where we will hang out with our members, talk with them about upcoming events and what they want to do,” Maloney said. “Then we will break off into small groups and just hangout and talk with each other.”
Most members provide their own instruments but the club does provide a few guitars for those who need them. Maloney mentioned that members learn from one another and grow as musicians while a part of the club.
“I think we do grow,” Maloney said. “We have some people who like to share what they are listening to and teach other songs from what they have been learning. Through them you learn new tips and tricks. We also offer beginner lessons, only on a request basis.”
The Guitar Club also hosts events for the SRU community. Previous events the club held were open mic nights in 2019 and then a garage concert in 2020. Because of COVID-19 and being virtual, the club got a few members together and held a garage concert series.
The organization is holding a Music Festival on Nov. 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Quad Tent. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the music will begin at 7 p.m.
This is the organization’s first music festival which will feature performances by SRU students and local bands from Pittsburgh. Performers featuring at the festival include Atlantic Wasteland and FYD! This event is free to the community. Students can sign up for this event on CORE by Oct. 31.
To join the club, students can connect with the Guitar Club on CORE, through Instagram and Twitter @guitarclubsr or Facebook @Guitar Club of Slippery Rock.
