UTSA Underground offers experiential learning in real-life showbiz

MAY 10, 2023 — As the spring semester reels in the last of its line, it is time for the UTSA Underground Music and Arts Festival, the event that rocks campus grounds from the tunnels below.

UTSA Underground, scheduled from 5 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, has become an annual campus tradition for students and the surrounding community. The festival takes place in the loading tunnels located underneath the Arts, Flawn Science, Biotechnology, Sciences and Engineering, and Multidisciplinary Studies Buildings. Spanning several stage areas, it features a large line-up of UTSA students and alumni who are musicians, DJs and visual artists. The festival is free and open to the public.

UTSA Underground is organized entirely by the university’s music industry-focused student organization, Musicians of Business (MOB). The group, started by students in the UTSA School of Music’s music marketing concentration, was intended to provide an environment where like-minded students could discuss and engage in hands-on learning experiences through projects that combined aspects of music and entrepreneurship.

A fun annual campus tradition, UTSA Underground takes place in the loading tunnels below several Main Campus buildings. It spans multiple stages and features UTSA students and alumni who are musicians, DJs and visual artists.

UTSA Underground began as one of these music industry-aimed projects and quickly took off, drawing large crowds to the tunnels each year.

While UTSA Underground has prominently featured alternative music alongside a wide variety of genres, the festival is doubling down on the alternative genre with this year's lineup. Fans of San Antonio’s hardcore scene may be familiar with several artists scheduled to appear, especially those who were around the scene during the storied days of the White Rabbit music venue, as well as the Korova.

Former MOB president and UTSA alum Anna Madewell ’22 returns to the festival as DJ Kiki, a name some may recognize from shows at 800 Live, a popular venue in San Antonio for electronic dance music artists. Other bands in the line-up such as Opaque Ghost, Lemon Disco, Lease Agreement and Vintage Pictures make this year’s festival particularly uniting for San Antonio’s alternative music circuit.

UTSA senior Joey Flowers, a hip-hop artist in the line-up and current member of MOB, has done more for than festival than add to its entertainment value. Last year, he created graphic designs for UTSA Underground’s marketing. His work with MOB led to him being hired by the School of Music as a student graphic designer for event promotions. This will be his final concert as a student.

“It’s been very interesting to look back at my journey throughout the university that got me here. It’s almost like I’ve talked to every past version of myself and now we're here,” Flowers said. “To be able to combine my art life and school life has been a blessing—being able to have both lives live in harmony. Overall, I’m really excited for the future. While this may be the end of ‘college life,’ it is also the beginning of a new chapter in life.”

UTSA Underground is one of several MOB projects in which its members engage in the real-world application of their skills as business-oriented artists. Music majors and non-music majors are encouraged to get involved with the organization by attending meetings and actively participating. The organization also provides an opportunity for music-marketing students and business-savvy musicians to bring leadership to an organization that has long prided itself on sharing knowledge and collaboration to better each other as artists.

— Rolando Ramon