Former Del Mar student Kiya Vance performed in the first ever Rooftop Concert on Aug. 17 at the Art Museum of South Texas during their monthly Weird Corpus Papercut Zine Fest.
The festival, hosted by Ema Rodriguez, creator of Weird Corpus, was sponsored by Kleberg Bank.
“Weird Corpus is a mini event compared to our Papercut Zine Fest,” Rodriguez said. “I chose Weird Corpus because the things I desired to see or events I wanted to create, the response I always got was, that sounds ‘weird.’ I wanted to throw Zine Fest, again people thought that was ‘weird.’ So, I decided to call it ‘Weird Corpus’ not to be confused with Austin’s “Keep Austin Weird” slogan.”
Weird Corpus happens every third Thursday of every month featuring 10-12 vendors involving local artists as well as a theater promoting videos of poetry readings along with DJ Johnny “Hotcakes” Garcia gave the background feel of being at a prestigious art show.
Clay Rueter, community service coordinator, said they “try to incorporate as many elements and forms of art as possible.”
Every month has a different theme.
This month the event featured a local bookstore, Black Cat Books, printing goods from independent Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students, free yoga and Pilates, and local musical artist Vance.
Vance attended Del Mar in 2020 majoring in electrical engineering. Over time he found music to be more intriguing, so he changed his major to music with Professor Philip Hii.
Despite the heat, crowds of spectators kept filling the rooftop.
Opening the show was _QUOTA_, a local group with DJ and rapper artist Bobby Glory with a few beats from his turn tables and later with his lyrical rapping techniques featuring partner and friend Horn$.
“QUOTA stands for creative freedom, collaborating, and brotherhood free for any creative expression. Our lyrics express different things with hip-hop collections,” Glory said.
Having the concert on the rooftop gave the advantage of the Corpus Christi Bay breeze close to where the Lexington Museum on the Bay is currently docked.
A large carpet was provided for those who chose to sit on the ground with chairs in the back.
Collaboration in Vance performance was another local artist called Moonjazz music with their slogan, “The dopest band this side of the Milkyway” on Instagram.
During the performance, Vance vibed with the crowd giving a more personable performance for his followers, friends, and spectators.
“I love the energy Vance brings,” says spectator Smiley Rodriguez, 18.
Vance’s and Rodriguez’s friend Maribelle Moya, 19, sat at the back watching the event.
“He ‘is’ the vibe of his music. … He’s all around humble. He’s like a cloud that never brings rain,” Moya said.
TAMU-CC student Maya Williams, a nursing major, follows Vance to his events.
“Vance is easy to talk to. He’s genuine. He supports other musicians. He’s all about the community with the best intentions,” Williams said.
This year Vance has been in the Caller Times regarding his other hobby; chess with long-time friend and business partner Logan Hanna. Together they created Wordofmouth, which hosts chess tournaments throughout the Corpus Christi area in hopes of encouraging the community to join. He was also featured for Ask the Viking in 2020.
