By Kaitlin Braner, News Correspondent

In an effort to introduce students to the local music scene, the Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA) held a free show at afterHOURS Wednesday night featuring Massachusetts-based bands Bearstronaut, Math the Band and Camden.
‘We set up this event to let people know what is out there,’ said Erik Grosfeld, president of MEISA, an organization that aims to create and promote music events on college campuses, among other things, in an effort to promote music in education. ‘These bands have good press and are very talented.’
The first band to showcase their talent was Bearstronaut, a band from Lowell whose music style changed from song to song. In one song they sounded like The Killers, the next they sounded like popular ska band Less than Jake.
The next act was Math the Band. This band was the most well known of the three, having opened for some big name bands like Andrew WK. Math the Band had a very interactive style and played off stage to get the audience excited. They played a few hardcore versions of popular songs, including ‘It’s the End of the World (As We Know It)’ by R.E.M.
‘I was e-mailed about playing at Northeastern,’ said Kevin Steinhauser, lead singer of Math the Band. ‘And I’m glad we accepted. Performing is our favorite thing to do in the world.’
Finally, Northeastern-based band Camden took the stage. Camden had the sound of an early Modest Mouse, but with more of a beat. Its musical style was much mellower than the previous bands.
‘We love playing live,’ said Jason Sibilia, Camden guitarist and Northeastern student. ‘It’s different every time.’
Though all the bands had their own unique style, the band with the most support was Camden.
‘Camden had a really unique sound,’ said Dan D’Addeo, a junior accounting major. ‘I had an awesome time listening to them.’
‘It was so great to see so much support for local bands among students,’ said Amanda Borrero, a senior criminal justice major. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed my night.’
MEISA members said they were very pleased with the event and are looking forward to putting on more throughout the year, not only with local bands but big-name acts as well.
‘The show was awesome,’ Grosfeld said. ‘I was definitely happy with the turnout, the bands were great and everyone had a lot of fun.’
For more information about Bearstronaut, Math the Band and Camden, visit their Myspace pages. Bearstronaut will perform on Sept. 21 at the Middle East Cage in Cambridge and Camden will release an EP at the end of October.