Five moments from Day 1 of LAUNCH

The eighth annual LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival will bring music industry experts and performers to downtown Lancaster through Saturday evening.

Here are five moments from Thursday, Day 1 of LAUNCH.

1. The Artisan’s hair flips

New Jersey metalcore band The Artisan played a late afternoon set at the Chameleon Club Thursday, setting the bar high early on for best hair flips at LAUNCH. Check out the footage for yourself.

The Artisan at @Chameleon_Club #LMCF16 pic.twitter.com/2zFak9OwuM
— Jenelle Janci (@jenelley) April 21, 2016

2. Approaching Troy taking full advantage of the wireless mic

The frontman of Wantagh, New York, group Approaching Troy has too much energy to be confined to a stage. So, he made the most of the setup’s wireless mic capabilities and jumped around throughout the crowd at the Galactic Room, located in the lower level of the Lancaster County Convention Center.

After I tweeted the following clip, the band’s official account responded to me. “Haha usually he throws his mic around from the wire so this was a special occasion I guess haha,” the tweet read.

The @ApproachingTroy frontman makes the most out of the wireless mic. #LMCF16 pic.twitter.com/P2Gbl9OSeB
— Jenelle Janci (@jenelley) April 21, 2016

3. Discovering LAUNCH has its own geofilter on Snapchat

I was about to put one of the Lancaster geofilters on a performance clip when I discovered LAUNCH has its own geofilter on Snapchat. Follow LancasterOnline on Snapchat for updates throughout LAUNCH.

. @LaunchMusicConf has its own geotag on Snapchat. #LMCF16 pic.twitter.com/TfZlw5M88m
— Jenelle Janci (@jenelley) April 21, 2016

4. Alex Brubaker’s virtuoso guitar skills

Alex Brubaker broke his thumb during a snowboarding accident. Just two weeks ago, he had the cast removed, and he told the LAUNCH audience at Lancaster Dispensing Company Thursday night that he had to “relearn how to play guitar.” I certainly didn’t notice, as Brubaker’s percussive style of playing was as skillful as ever.

I was looking forward to this set all day - Alex Brubaker at DipCo. #LMCF16 pic.twitter.com/BgJChGHPC2
— Jenelle Janci (@jenelley) April 22, 2016

5. Bayside made a bunch of 20-somethings get nostalgic.

Bayside, an emo-punk rock band that originated in 2000, took the Freedom Hall stage promptly at 9:15 p.m. The crowd was primarily people in their 20s and early 30s. Lead singer Anthony Raneri’s high vocals sounded exactly as they did on the band’s 2004 studio debut, and the band was incredibly tight.

Raneri slowed down the fast-paced punk on a moving stripped-down version of “Don’t Call Me Peanut,” a highlight of the show. Soft moments like this juxtaposed with more classic Bayside moments like “The Walking Wounded” made for a dynamic performance that seemed to end too quickly.