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WU serves as starting block for ambitious artist

By Tyler Wolfe for The Yellow Jacket 4 min read
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On Friday, March 27, students filled the Benedum Dining Hall on yet another snowy spring evening for Wing Night, featuring Austin Moody – a country singer from Nashville, Tennessee.

Moody sang original songs and some covers from country artists Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Joe Nichols, where he had the audience sing along.

”I think he is really talented and I love how interactive he was with the audience,” said Kayla Goncalves, freshman music ministry major. “They played some really cool stuff that I know my friends and I enjoyed.”

Moody is a solo artist, but has a drummer and a second guitarist – both also from Tennessee – that travel with him to some of his performances, including Friday’s Wing Night.  

”I think we had a great concert, I was glad to see so many people came out,” said Moody. “I enjoy what I do, it’s just like playing in someone’s basement and having a good time.”

There were a few more students at wing night than normal on Friday, as it is normally held in the Beehive; but Benedum seemed to serve as a better location.

”I think that the wing nights should be held in the caf more often; it’s a better atmosphere,” said Cody Hillberry, senior sociology major.

Unfortunately, due to the higher number of students in attendance, there was a shortage of wings shortly after the night began, though most students where able to get wings before they ran out. 

This did leave some students disgruntled, but the night wasn’t just about the wings; it was about the music too.  

”I was upset that they were pretty much out of wings before the band even started playing,” said Mitch Ross, junior sports broadcasting major. “But he was a great country singer, kind of like a Josh Tuner vibe, which made up for the lack of wings.” 

Waynesburg University was not the only place Moody and his band played on Friday. 

That afternoon, they played for the Waynesburg Chamber of Commerce in hopes to come back this summer to play at the 141st annual Rain Day Festival on July 29.

”When we come to a town, we love to meet people and learn more about that town, especially such a small one like Waynesburg,” said Moody. “I really hope we can come back for Rain Day this summer; it’s such a strange thing to celebrate, but it sounds like a really good time.”

Moody has only been performing for four years, and said he is at the beginning of his country music career but hopes to make it big one day. 

He sold t-shirts on Friday that could serve as backstage passes to any concert he performs at for the entirety of his career. 

Maybe we will see Moody back at Waynesburg University again, or maybe on a bigger stage as a big name country artist.

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