Tag: Drake Bell

Drake Bell talks musical influences, performing at OWU

Sports editor Matt Cohen interviewed Drake Bell on Saturday, March 28 shortly before he went onstage in the Gordon Field House.

 

Transcript: What’s your go-to pick up line?

Drake Bell: Um, I don’t know I don’t have a favorite.

T:Who influenced you the most when going into music?

Bell: Elvis, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Lil Richard, Eddie Clarke, Stray Cats, a lot of old people.

T: Growing up, did you like music or acting more?

Bell: There’s nothing to compare to playing live on stage in front of a live audience.  It’s awesome being creative and being on a movie set, but there’s a lot of sitting around, a lot of waiting until they’re ready for you.  Working on sitcoms is fun because it’s fast passed and you do have a live audience.  But there’s nothing to compare to live performing. That’s the best.

T: What’s the coolest venues you’ve played at?

Bell: The coolest ones are actually in South America and Central America.  Brazil, Mexico, the latin fans take “fan” to the whole next level.  It’s the most intense and a lot of fun.

T: What were your first thoughts when hearing about the OWU concert?

Bell: That it would be awesome to come play.  I love playing, seeing new places, meeting new people.  Doing these colleges have been a lot of fun because all the people in the crowd are usually just a little younger than me.  So it’s awesome I can do whatever I want, you know? I don’t have to cater my performance toward the younger kids.

T: Have you played a lot of colleges during the tour?

Bell: Yeah a few, don’t ask me which ones.  Notre Dame, Berkeley was a lot of fun.  Yeah the college thing has been a lot of fun.

T: Have you kept in touch with anyone on Drake and Josh?

Bell: Yeah I talk to Josh all the time and I just saw Miranda the other day we went to the Children’s Hospital together.  We worked on a cartoon together not that long ago.  I’m actually working with the Dad from the show, Jonathan Goldstein, on a new project that I’m producing and he’s directing. We were a pretty tight knit group.

T: What’s coming up next for you?

Bell: Touring and now I’m doing the voice of the Flash.  Now I’m the Spiderman and the Flash, that’s pretty cool.

Bishop Bash

By: Matt Cohen and Ben Miller

 

We went into Bishop Bash with skepticism like most people on campus. After reading the Yik-Yak feed, hearing the bad reputation of Drake Bell and looking at the lack of Instagram followers of Liberty Deep Down, how could we not have some doubts?

Let us first start by saying Liberty Deep Down was amazing. The band most OWU students had never heard of rocked Gordon Field House this past Saturday night. Not only were the members of the band fun to talk to and easy to work with, they were also great performers with a lot of energy and passion.

Many students shrugged off the event with no questions asked because of the headliner Drake Bell and the unknown band Liberty Deep Down. This was the wrong move.

As fans of music and talent, the way they performed on stage was much appreciated and impressive. We can definitely see these guys making it big time one day. And we’ll be able to say that line everyone loves hearing: “we saw them before they were famous.” Where as you’ll be disappointed of your ignorance of Bishop Bash and music. You call yourself a fan of music? Please.

Being skeptical of Bishop Bash is one thing, but not going because you think you’re too cool is crazy. The band Liberty Deep Down that OWU provided was good. They took over the stage and energized the crowd. Just because we didn’t get Cage the Elephant or BeyoncĂ© doesn’t mean you should not have gone.

The point we are trying to get across is if you weren’t at the concert on Saturday, you really missed out on Liberty Deep Down. Any music fan would have enjoyed their performance.

P.S. If the band is looking for some PR reps for this summer’s tour, we are available.

The worst is yet to come

The other day my friends and I were trying to recall the most embarrassing concert we had ever attended. Performers such as Lil’ Kim and the Jo Bros were mentioned before it donned on us: the most embarrassing was yet to come – Drake Bell, courtesy of the Campus Programming Board’s (CPB) Bishop Bash.

This begs the question: why Drake Bell? What has Bell done besides singing the theme song for Drake and Josh and tweet about how much he hates Justin Bieber?

Seniors may vaguely recall the Hellogoodbye debacle of the spring of 2012. The event was so poorly attended the school decided to stop bringing in “big name” performers for a while; well, until now. Until Drake Bell.

When similar small schools have concerts featuring artists like Hoddie Allen, Chiddy Bang, T-Pain and Chance the Rapper, it’s pretty obvious why a Nickelodeon has-been doesn’t bring the excitement. The thing is, some of those artists and others like them are well within our price range. Obviously Delaware, Ohio, isn’t a sought after tour destination – but hey, for $20,000 one would probably be willing to make the trip.

According to The Huffington Post, in February of last year Bell filed for bankruptcy, with his debts totaling over $500,000. In 2013, Bell made only $14,099. We are paying him $20,000, which is more than his income for all of 2013. You are welcome Drake Bell.

CPB’s treasurer Paige Springhetti, a sophomore, said the remaining $30,000 in the club’s concert fund went toward the opening act – Liberty Deep Down – and production and advertising costs.

This $50,000—granted to CPB by WCSA—is coming from the $260 each student pays per year as an “activity fee.” If you do the math, each student is paying around $28 for Bishop Bash, not including the $10 one must pay for a ticket.

It will be interesting to see if attendance is high enough to make this Bishop Bash an annual event, but if 2012 is any indication, I wouldn’t say I’m optimistic.

The students who planned Bishop Bash are passionate and committed – that is obvious if you talk to any member of CPB about the event. I just wish their choice of artist was someone our campus could support without having to channel our 12-year-old selves, especially because we are the ones paying for him.

Childhood memories come rushing back

Poster from "The Lego Movie." Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com.
Poster from “The Lego Movie.” Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com.

Thursday, Feb. 26, gave many Ohio Wesleyan students a blast from their childhood with the showing of The Lego Movie and the announcement of this spring’s Bishop Bash headliner.

Campus Programming Board (CPB) presented the third movie of the series Popcorn and Pix, along with a big surprise after the movie: the performer for Bishop Bash.

Students came to Milligan Hub in Stuyvesant Hall to see the star-studded movie, with voice overs from Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Chris Pratt, Charlie Day and Channing Tatum.

References to Lego kits filled the screen and characters straight out of those Lego boxes came to life.

The movie ended and a banner was let down. The secret was out. Drake Bell is on the way.

“It was nice to finally let everyone on campus know who the performer is for this spring’s concert,” said CPB member senior Garrett Van Schaick.  “We’ve worked hard planning the event and getting the performance ready so I hope people will be excited to come to the concert.”

Drake Bell. Photo courtesy of Drake Bell's management.
Drake Bell. Photo courtesy of Drake Bell’s management.

There were mixed emotions when the banner dropped. Some of the students, along with CPB members, were cheering and clapping, while others were not sure what to make of the name.

Some people were delighted at the former Nickelodeon star’s booking. Like sophomore Jessica Sanford, who was thrilled.

“It’s my childhood dream coming true,” said Sanford.  “I can’t believe I’m actually going to see my childhood hero in concert. I’m very, very excited.”

Drake Bell was the star of the hit show Drake and Josh that aired from 2004 to 2008 on Nickelodeon. He and his co-stars Josh Peck and Miranda Cosgrove were a part of these college students’ childhoods.

“I’m very surprised that the performer is Drake Bell,” said junior Bryan Ansel. “I feel like he should be performing for younger kids instead of college kids. I had to think for a second before I realized who he actually was. I didn’t know he was still around.”

Bishop Bash bringing Bell

Drake Bell playing his guitar. Photo courtesy of Drake Bell's management.
Drake Bell playing his guitar. Photo courtesy of Drake Bell’s management.

After months of speculation and wild rumors, Ohio Wesleyan’s Campus Programming Board (CPB) announced its mystery guest for this year’s Bishop Bash: Drake Bell.

Bell, known for his role in the Nickelodeon television show “Drake and Josh,” also has musical talent. Sophomore Maddie Oslejsek, the director of entertainment for CPB, said Bell was one of the board’s top choices due to his name recognition.

Bell will be joined by Liberty Deep Down, a band from Powell, Ohio whose members met at Liberty High School. Levi Harrel, a residential life coordinator and one of CPB’s advisers, said the band has a large local following and reflect a “boy-band style.”

Freshman Elle Benak, a co-president of CPB said, “[Bell] is well-known by our generation for his work on ‘Drake and Josh’ and we knew that would draw many people to the concert. We focused on finding a name that everyone would recognize and believed that his name would do that.”

Bishop Bash will be a new addition to OWU’s entertainment roster. Previously, CPB planned events such as Spring Fest, which was not as successful as the board had hoped. Junior Nathan LaFrombois, the other co-president, said through marketing research and surveying OWU students, CPB decided it would be beneficial to revitalize a concert series, and that required a name change.

“When talking to students on campus there was great desire for a concert,” Benak said. “And even among CPB members, everyone wanted to put on a large-scale concert with an artist.”

Liberty Deep Down. Photo courtesy of Liberty Deep Down's management.
Liberty Deep Down. Photo courtesy of Liberty Deep Down’s management.

Oslejsek said CPB made a large list of possible artists and narrowed them by availability and price. CPB used a company called Concert Ideas to negotiate the act’s appearance and price.

After attending a concert management lecture last summer to learn how to put a concert together, LaFrombois said CPB had the ability to revitalize concerts and make them better than in the past.

The budget, which was provided by Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA), was $50,000. Bell will cost CPB about $20,000. LaFrombois said the rest of the money goes toward hospitality, technology required for the concert, housekeeping, security and any “hidden costs.”

“Once you know the performer, everything else falls into place,” Oslejsek said.

Harrel said CPB plans on continuing Bishop Bash, but will rotate yearly between singers and comedians. He said future Bishop Bashes are contingent on WCSA funding.

Bishop Bash logo courtesy of OWU's communications office.
Bishop Bash logo courtesy of OWU’s communications office.

Nancy Rutkowski, assistant director of student involvement for leadership and CPB’s adviser, said funding for next year’s Bishop Bash will be submitted in the fall before the spring budget deadline.

“Believe it or not
$50,000 really covers a small concert so if we wanted to do a bigger name someday, it would take more than that,” Rutkowski said.

The concert will take place on March 28 in the Gordon Field House of the Branch Rickey Arena. Doors open at 7 pm and parking is free. Advance tickets can be purchased at owutickets.com by OWU students, staff and faculty for $10 and the general public for $20. All tickets are $25 at the door.

One hundred OWU students will be able to purchase VIP tickets for $15. Students with these tickets get early admission through a special entrance,  a Bishop Bash t-shirt and a VIP lanyard.