QuadWorks held its annual Cubstock event on Friday with a spot at this year's Bearstock opening act on the line. In addition to student bands competing to be selected as the opener, solo acts were a part of Friday's show.
A three-judge panel comprising of Adam Penland, assistant director of Campus Life and Student Involvement, Vicki Luther, a professor in the Tift College of Education and Jay Black, chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies was put together by QuadWorks.
A newly formed band on campus, Kosher Pickle, kicked off Cubstock with covered songs like "The Impression of You," "Ghost Town" and "Santeria.” The group was popular amongst the crowd as members danced along to their set.
The nascent band derived their name from an ongoing joke with a friend, found that "Ghost Town" was the most fun song to perform with the trombones and basses blaring throughout the act. It was lead singer Elliott Keyser ‘28 first time singing in public.
“I enjoy Carpool Karaoke, but I have never sung to a crowd, so it was a new challenge for me,” Keyser said after his performance. “It was a bit daunting at first, but once I got up on stage, it all came together.”
The atmosphere shifted to soulful blues as Hasania Clarke ‘27 performed a cover of "House of the Rising Sun" as a soloist, the first of the night.
Trinity Scales ‘27 followed Clarke's performance and, despite not having rehearsal time with her band, delivered a polished performance that featured the popular R&B classic, "Love" by Keyshia Cole. With a set of three songs, Trinity left the stage with a long round of applause from the audience. “Coming back to school, I usually take a break from singing, but I was really happy to hear that they were hosting this,” Scales told The Cluster.
A long-time performer, Brodie Mullin '29 has been singing, dancing and acting since childhood, and he brought the crowd back to the 2010s as a solo act playing party anthems. Among the titles he played, Mullin performed some original songs like "Electric Nights." During his set, Mullin took the crowd by surprise with a split jump, bringing folks to their feet to applaud the effort.
"I loved every second of it, the crowd was hype, and I did my job of keeping them that way,” he said.
In the final act of the night, MothaFunka hit the stage to defend their title as Cubstock winners. The band brought disco vibes with "24K Magic" and "Never Gonna Give You Up."
“We’re always excited to make music for the Mercer community and to get out there and connect with people,” Kiah Shealy '27 said. “But specifically for Bearstock, we are excited to do some more of our arrangements and spins on songs like we did tonight."
After a night full of great performances ranging from disco to reggae punk and R&B, it was reigning champion MothaFunka who rocked their way to victory and will be opening for BearStock 2026. With MothaFunka locked in to open BearStock 2026, QuadWorks encourages students to check their social media for the reveal of Bearstock’s headliner.
Precious Clark '26 is a Law & Public Policy major with a minor in Political Science. She works at the circulation desk in Tarver Library and Auxiliary Services. When she is not writing for The Mercer Cluster, she enjoys reading, drawing and listening to Tame Impala.
