by Derek Operle

“The Pass” and “Walk The Moon” may sound like dance moves from the 80s but they are bands performing free concerts aton Thursday, March 3rd, at 8 p.m. in the Cat’s Den.

“Walk The Moon is like if David Bowie had a baby with Cincinnati, Ohio,” said Nicole Beletsis, a Student Center programmer, of the up-and-coming dance-rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio.

With a sound that is at times reminiscent of Bowie and, at others, The Killers, members of Walk the Moon have crafted their own indie rock sound.

Cece Simandl, the Cat’s Den concert coordinator, found it difficult to classify the band into any single genre, simply saying that “they write ultra-catchy, creative songs that make you just wanna get up and sing and dance along with them.”

The evening’s headliners, The Pass, are from Louisville.

Highly touted by some music bloggers and Louisville natives , The Pass have gone on to play in venues all around the country.

Simandl described their sound as being in its own version of “psychedelic tech-rock.” Beletsis said she was happy to be putting on the show because it was exciting to be bringing a band that she reads about on blogs to campus.

“Listening to The Pass is like looking at colors that don’t exist,” she said.

As the Cat’s Den concerts coordinator, Simandl has been striving to further the development of Kentucky’s music scene by bringing in a diverse mix of both local and visiting bands.

Simandl said she sees college as the time when people start to develop their taste in music, and she hopes that, by putting on shows like this one, she can help people grow musically.

Beletsis is also trying to affect the local music scene. She recalled a few years ago when indie group Vampire Weekend played in Lexington to a disappointingly small crowd only to grow exponentially in popularity months later.

“Don’t let this be another Vampire Weekend,” Simandl said. “Come to this show. You will not be disappointed.”

Beletsis can sum up Thursday’s Cat’s Den concert in a few words: “Face paint. Dance Party. You’re dumb if you don’t go.”