Tired of spending Thursday nights stuck studying in a stuffy dorm room? Try walking to the MSU Union for Open Mic Night.
The University Activities Board has been putting on Open Mic Night for artists around campus and in the community to show off their talents. Open Mic Night is every other Thursday night from 8-11 p.m.
Rikki Jarvis, a member of the UAB, helped run the event last Thursday. Jarvis said Open Mic Night is a way for new talent to get practice.
While a handful of performers are return artists, Jarvis said, many are new first timers.
On Thursday the audience consisted of a handful of students including myself; which is unusual for this event. Audience members Amanda Taylor and Jaclyn Park said that during the winter season the event typically faces a lull, with a small crowd due to the winter weather. However, as the night continued, more people began to show up.
With talent ranging from rappers and poets to musicians, Taylor said, “We started going last year, and we liked it; it is interesting to see other people’s talents.”
The first performer of the night was Riley O’Shea who sang “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young. O’Shea put his own twist on the song by changing the lyrics from “Heart of Gold” to “Pot of Gold” in honor of the upcoming holiday.
As for the event in general, O’Shea said Open Mic Night was a good place for beginners and he came to practice in front of a smaller crowd before he performed for a much larger one on Saturday.
The second performer was 17-year-old, Yesenia Brito from Sexton High School. She performed her version of “Finally” by Fergie. While starting out nervous, Brito finished the song relieved with a room full of applause, yet unwilling to go for round two.
There was about a thirty-minute break before the next performer, Spencer Dean, took the stage. Dean sang three songs including: “Wagon Wheel,” a traditional folk song, “20 Years” by The Civil Wars, and “Hymn 35” by Joe Pug.
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Dean said, “I absolutely love that they [UAB] do this for students because otherwise I don’t really have an easy venue for me to just go play and practice at. Practicing at home is different than playing in front of people, especially people you don’t know; so I feel like this has helped a lot with my performing and everything.”
Jim McCormick was the fourth performer, singing two songs and playing the guitar; McCormick was also very funny, cracking jokes during his performance. McCormick sang “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton and “Lee Shore” by Crosby and Nash.
Evan Hayden was next on stage singing a cover of “Who Says” by John Mayer.
After Hayden packed up, Harris Schneiderman sang “Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony?” by Ween and his own original song called “What Should I Do?”
The next performers, Zack Volkert and John Joba, sang three songs; all of which were covers. They started with “I’ve Got Friends” by Manchester Orchestra, followed by “Pass Slowly” by Seether, and ending the night with “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Nirvana.
For audience first timers, Aaron Jordan and Erin Ehlke, the size of the audience was somewhat of a shock. They were both surprised more people had not shown up but thought the event was a great way to showcase students’ talents.
So whether you’re coming to do homework or just need a night out, I promise you Open Mic Night will be worth the chance.