Temple University - Templar Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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 CRO W pLt struts Frot parties and bars around campus keep Temple's night owls entertained during the weekend. However, some students would rather spend their Saturday night at a house show, crowded in a humid bosement watching a little-known band rock out. House shows land somewhere between a party and a large-scale concert featuring genres that range from lo-fi pop to punk or even funk groove fusion. The venues — rowhomes by day, concert halls by night — often close and new ones open, os the tenants who run them move elsewhere. They ore located all throughout the city of Philadelphia, but a few like The Nest and Beaver Dorn, have popped up near campus and become popular among students who attend, play and even host them. Attendees pay about five to ten dollars for entrance making affordability a big draw, but senior Brendan Maher frequents these shows for the ambionce. 1 think that house shows provide a more intimate experience than larger concerts and have a more casual atmosphere,' Maher said. 'In my experience everyone ot house shows, including the band members, have been friendly and welcoming.' House shows usually feature local bonds with a D.I.Y or 'do it yourself' ethic. Sophomore Potrick Chobot helps run the venue 'Trash House' making sure that all of the bands are organized and ready to play. For him, the house show scene is first and foremost about music 'We push for everyone to go see the bands, but we also understand people who just want to hang out and hove o oood night.' he said. Favorites in the Philadelphia house show circuit include pop band 'Radiator Hospital,' psychedelic jazz group 'Kingfisher.' ond fusion jam band 'dot.gov' - formed by Temple students. Bonds from other cities, like 'Girlpool' (from los Angeles) often play in Philfy for its thriving D.I.Y. scene. Sophia Uerbilla. solo artist for lo-fi band 'Harmony Woods.' soys different crowds provide a different experience. 'Some shows are super intimate and the crowds ore reolfy quiet, which can moke it feel like a really unique, cathartic experience for performers,' she said 'Other crowds can be kind of loud ond ore obviously mostly there to hong out with their friends... I find that most of the people I've played in front of care deeply about the music and performance.' House shows offer a unique atmosphere at a low cost, which is reason enough for many to experience them ot least once in their college career. For bonds, it creates the opportunity to become known such os popular pop-punk band 'Modern Baseball' who started their career playing ot house shows around the Philly ond Temple area. 'in o house show, it’s like the person performing is one of your friends, freshman Max Verna said. 'But at an octuol concert, they're like separated from you on a stage.' WRITTEN BY NCK EHY PHOTOGRAPHED BY MJCHAEl SOTTHE

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BIKE FORREST, BIKE! THE NUMBER OF CYCLISTS RISE AS PROCRAMS AND A STRONG BIKE CULTURE TAKE PLACE ON CAMPUS Bicycles stand out o» Temple. Students zip to classes and bike racks line campus buildings. Director of Sustainability Kathleen Grady, said the number of bikes on campus have increased. The league of American Bicyclists certified Temple os bike-friendly in 2014. This achievement was largely due to the efforts of 'Bike Temple.' run through the Office of Sustainability, which promotes bike use. education and safety on campus. college students, but it is also a new way to explore Philadelphia. 'When you're biking, you see a different part of the city that you wouldn't usually see because you're moving at a different scale since the speed is o little bit slower, and I think that's really awesome.' Grody said. Sophomore Jared Johnson uses his bike os his mode of transportation. 'There could definitely be more bike lanes on the streets, but there's still a lot of interesting places to go to ride your bike, Johnson said. 'lost year we added a ton of bike rocks and this year we’re adding covered bike parking and secure bike parking on campus,' Grady said. 'So if you want to be able to lock your bike up in some type of internal facility, you're going to have that option.' The Bike Temple program also focuses on adding more and protected bike lanes. But the process is more complicated than other improvements since it requires collaboration with the City of Philadelphia. Bike Temple also brought the public bike sharing program Indego on campus two years ago. For routine and maintenance, the Breakaway Bikes repair trailer on campus is opened three days a week and is on accessible resource at the courtyard between Peabody and Annenberg. With Indego, students and Philadelphia residents are able to find an alternative to public transportation on and near campus. ‘We negotiated with Indego to give temple students a discounted rate,' Blake larson, former coordinator for Bike Temple, said. 'It's an important step in continuing the intersection of bicyding and public transit.' Biking is not only on eco-friendly alternative and an easy exercise for busy Second Hand Cycles, a bike-friendly section of Bike Temple, was created in 2014 os a way to recycle bikes left on rocks. Abandoned bikes ore collected, held for a year for owners to claim them, then fixed and sold bock at low prices to students in soles that take place two to three times a year The Second Hond Cycles also aims to get more students biking and combat bike theft which has decreased on campus in recent years As more bike-friendly initiatives take place, the number of bike racks grow and the number of cyclists follow right behind it. Every year the bike rocks are fuller and fuller,' larson said. 'We’re always hoving to put more ot Tyler because Tyler is like the heart of bicyding on compus.' WRITTEN BY MORGAN SlUTZtCY PHOTOGRAPHED BY ANDRE A ECASSiS 9