Image of YDA Danial by Gaia Dash ’27
“It’s called change.” The message floated through the charming orange church doors between bouts of steady, jangly emo rock. Walking down to West Art, located on the corner of Buchanan and College Avenue, I could hear the music before I could see the actual building. Outside standing among the cigarette butts and sitting at the picnic tables was central Pennsylvania’s Great Alternative: basement dwellers, shoegazers, pierced, dyed and tattooed; enough long, unwashed hair to rival Rapunzel.
Citadel’s Sanctum was the first event organized by Montclair Breakfast, a music collective based out of Central PA. The lineup consisted of twelve artists ranging in genre, including house, indie, emo, hardcore and ambient.
The first full set I got to watch was by a pair of DJs called Doghouse (at the end of the set, Lucy Kosoff, a lively Millersville student in a shiny pleather outfit behind the turntable, proudly exclaimed, “We are two dogs who make house!”). The other DJ, only known as Maeve.Sound, wore a Carhartt shirt and khaki pants. Both of their looks were “frat fits,” complete with two pairs of white sneakers. Despite what some might call “normie” aesthetics and an audience full of emos, metalheads and music snobs, Doghouse had boiler room confidence. Highlights of their set included a breakbeat remix of Travis Scott’s “FE!N,” a brattified version of “Again” by Fetty Wap, and a hyper pop rendition of Cherub’s “Doses & Mimosas” that transitioned into Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.”
Doghouse set at West Art. Image by Lily Andrey ’27
Next up was YDA Danial, an emo rapper and one of the driving forces behind the Montclair Breakfast Collective. Between songs I can only describe as Linkin Park-Bladee and MGK-if-he-wasn’t-evil, Danial exalted in the success of the event and the turnout at West Art. “Evolution isn’t mandatory,” he said, fixing his “I Put a Metal Band in a Church” barcode tee. “It’s so amazing seeing the community thrive…everyone has been so f—ing supportive.” His set ended in a stage dive and a dance circle in the pit with some of the other Montclair Breakfast guys, and then it was time for the headliners.
I had the privilege of playing with Ragdoll in November 2024 at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. Almost a year later, their sound is sharper than ever, and their stage presence has only improved. The three piece has a uniform of band shirts with gnarled logos, navel-length hair, and the baggiest jeans I’ve seen outside of Bushwick. Their version of hardcore is fun, with some pop and occasional surf rock elements. Breckin, the lead singer and guitarist, took a couple of excellent solos backed by a strong, all-killer-no-filler rhythm section, and even as an audience member I could tell how carefully crafted their set was. The last two songs of the set were played as one suite, and their momentum and energy never faltered. For fans of heavier music, or anyone interested in Lancaster Hardcore, Ragdoll is absolutely worth checking out on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you stream your music.
The second headliner and penultimate act was Weekends at Noon out of Baltimore, MD. The band presented a collage, with each member having their own distinct look. The lead singer wore cowboy boots (with real spurs!), tight leather pants, a Misfits bandana and black eyeliner, while the bassist rocked—you guessed it—waist-length hair and a curled hipster-dream handlebar mustache. Despite the visual dissonance, the band had a cohesive sound and immediately made it clear they were best of friends. My favorite part of the set had to be when the bassist jumped off the stage and hopped around the audience on one foot. Their cover of Nirvana’s “Breed” was electric and absolutely crowd-pleasing, and their closing number, “Cheese Balls,” was delightful, off-kilter, and incredibly fun.
The final act of the night was a band called Hole Milk out of central Pennsylvania, self-described as “emo whatevercore.” The sentiment of their set—and the night on the whole—was SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC. They mostly played originals, with a rousing Mom Jeans cover thrown in towards the end. Their performance was dynamic, with the drummer and lead singer switching at several points. There were also two acoustic numbers, solo performances by the lead singer and the lead guitarist, respectively, that invited the audience to sit on the floor and created a layer of intimacy that set their performance apart from everyone else’s.
“Floor time” with Hole Milk. Image by Gaia Dash ’27
Citadel’s Sanctum was a rousing success, attended by students, Lancaster natives, and members of just about every subculture. In addition to the live acts, there were also tables for vendors selling art, stickers, tattoo designs, tee shirts, and even thongs. There was a constant flow of traffic between the performance space and the bar, which serves coffee, cocktails and craft beer.
If you have any interest at all in visiting (or re-visiting) this unique and special sanctuary for the arts, I implore you to walk down past the North Museum and come to West Art. This Thursday 9/18 from 6-9, you can catch rock singer King Kyote. There are also performances on the 19th and 20th at 7:30 (for more information, check out westartlanc.com/events). Come get comfortable in the space, meet some cool people, and enjoy what the Pennsylvania alternative scene has to offer. In the meantime, keep an eye out for reviews like this in The College Reporter, and, above all, keep supporting your local music scene.
Junior Gaia Dash is a Staff Writer for the College Reporter. Her email is gdash@fandm.edu.