By Sarah R. Schwartz ’10

On Friday, Jan. 22, Arcadia University hosted Bronze Radio Return (BRR), as part of the Student Programming Board’s (SPB) Coffeehouse series. The up-and-coming six-piece band plays a unique mixture of blues, rock and roots with an indie flavor. They refer to themselves as “Connecticut’s rising star,” and judging by the audience’s resounding reaction, Arcadia agrees.

Alex Keene ’12 really enjoyed the band and agrees that going to SPB Coffeehouse events is a great way to relax on the weekend. “I’m in a single dorm, so it’s sometimes difficult to get out, see things and mingle.” After the show he observed, “There were a whole lot of people here. A lot more than I’m used to seeing at an event. It was nice to see that.” Afterward he planned to stick around for the SPB Film Zombieland with a few friends.

Talking with BRR frontman, Chris Henderson, it’s clear that the band’s popularity hasn’t tainted his naturally friendly and modest disposition. Having been a band for close to three years, Bronze Radio Return has been touring the northeast since 2008, and Philadelphia is one of their favorite cities.

Bassist and Harleysville, Pa., native Bob Tanen gushed, “We’re playing the World Café Life tomorrow night. We love playing there. It’s one of our favorite venues. A couple of us are from southeast Pennsylvania. It’s always fun to come home, you know, see the old favorite spots, stay at mom’s and dad’s house, eat some home-cooked food.” In fact, drummer Rob Griffith grew up just miles away from Arcadia in Doylestown, Pa.

Henderson says he wants to see as much of this country as possible. “We’re on tour for the next eighteen days. We’ll go back to Hartford for a day or two and then head back out again. So we got a little break in between.” Breaks are few and far between when you have more than 100 shows scheduled a year.

Though most of their shows are performed at larger venues and pubs, Bronze Radio Return makes a priority of including universities on their schedule. The band debuted at its alma mater in Hartford, Conn., playing a short set at Spring Fling. The type of energy found on college campuses is what the band thrives on. Henderson and Tanen particularly liked the intimate atmosphere that Arcadia University had to offer. Henderson says, “We’d love to come back. It’s really a cool school.”