Bandier’s Spring Madhouse sources local artists for student-run show
Syracuse University Professor Michelle Santosuosso and students in the Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries stand together for a photo. The class enlisted the students to host Spring Madhouse tasking them with finding artists and funding. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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When Professor Michelle Santosuosso attended a Syracuse University student show at The Song & Dance in December 2024, she was shocked by the empty crowd.
Shortly after seeing the show’s low attendance, she felt inspired to reconfigure her Business of Live Music & Experiential Brand Activation course curriculum. At the time, the course (now BAN 345) was more theoretical and lecture-based, and she knew her class had to be more practical to prepare students for organizing life shows.
“ You really learn by doing it,” said Santosuosso, a professor of practice in Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries. “It’s way better than being in a classroom and taking notes. Putting a live show together will allow the students to have some skin in the game.”
Bandier will host its second edition of Spring Madhouse this Saturday at The Song & Dance. The entirely student-run production will open with two student DJs, leading up to its headliners, rappers Lil Sccrt and Mar WRLD.
The class of about 40 students were divided into six teams: production, sound, content creation, digital marketing, grassroots marketing and brand partnerships. While each student held responsibilities within their own teams, the entire class had to agree on who they wanted to feature, which was harder than expected, sophomore Emmett Milberg said.
The class spent almost a month finalizing the show’s headliners from assessing artist’s affordability to choosing a genre that caters to a youthful, more energetic crowd. When selecting the show’s headliners, the cost of travel and accommodations was a concern, prompting the class to focus on local artists, Milberg said.
“ With the budget that we have, I was honestly ready to accept that we might have to book a not so amazing artist, but they’re both really, really great,” Milberg said.
With booking local artists in mind, sophomore Josh Chun suggested Lil Sccrt, an underground rapper from Syracuse. With Lil Sccrt’s following of 33,000, the class hopes he will attract local fans to the show, Milberg said.
After choosing Lil Sccrt, sophomore Zharia Harris-Waddy pitched Mar WRLD, a rapper from New Jersey who also has a following in Syracuse. Harris-Waddy said the rapper is also good friends with SU football player Alijah Clark and frequently visits Syracuse, making it a good fit.
After connecting with Harris-Waddy, Mar WRLD, whose real name is C’Mar Webster, worked closely with the Bandier students to prepare for the upcoming performance. From planning his setlist to shooting promotions with the class’s content creation team, Webster said collaborating with the students stands out from his previous experiences.
“Even before coming to the classroom, everyone had lots of love,” Webster said. “Syracuse is the farthest place I’ve performed and I feel very welcomed. It makes me bring more excitement to the show.”
Spring Madhouse not only gives Bandier students the opportunity to apply their skills into the real world, but highlights other student talents like sophomore Lauren Ervin, one of the student DJ openers.
Ervin’s previous performances featured fellow DJs performing the same genre throughout the night. Spring Madhouse poses a different opportunity for her, she said, as she hopes to find a middle ground between her upbeat house music and Lil Sccrt and Mar WRLD’s faster-paced rap music.
“I was told that I could play whatever I want, but I’m keeping in mind the audience, who’s there to see the rappers,” Ervin said. “I’m trying to sort out my set list and it needs to be really hyped and have more reachable and tangible songs.”
After months of sorting out the show’s logistics, Milberg is excited to see his class’s work pay off. From overcoming financial restrictions to scouting local talents, it was a semester of mapping out fine details and never-ending communication within the different teams and the artists, such as finalizing each of the rappers’ setlist.
“Mar (WRLD) just came out with his new album last week so he’s going be performing it for the first time and (Lil) Sccrt played us some of his unreleased music that he might play at the show,” he said.
With decades of experience in the music business, Santosuosso understands how taxing the industry can be, especially for students aspiring to enter the music industry. As the show approaches, Santosuosso says her favorite part of the class is seeing her students’ efforts come into fruition.
“ Once the artist hits the stage and the audience is in the room, all of that stress and the grind you went through for weeks, it becomes worth it,” Santosuosso said. “To see (the students) have that moment, that is why people do live music.”
