Co-op Hall fills with jokes, songs, poems
By Gabriel Middaugh
Last Friday, musicians sang original songs and cover songs for all to hear, a comedian made people laugh loudly over goldfish and panda jokes, and poets put honest experiences out in the open, all in a small corner of Co-op Hall in a largely acoustic setting.
In the lower level of the Barrett Residence Hall, Co-op Hall tried to bring a multitude of listeners and performers to the showcase of an on-campus open mic. Some places exist around campus and the Richmond area where this kind of live entertainment can be found, but outlets are not always available where Earlham students can enjoy the experience together.
Two Earlham students, freshmen Emily Wilson and Charlie Umhau, organized the open mic. Wilson and Umhau, as well as everyone else who kept things moving along smoothly and watching the time, were able to put together an event that began at 8 p.m. and continued for more than three hours.
Every few acts, someone compared Co-op Hall to a sauna because of the heat, as the number of students increased and the sharing of talents continued. Some students were standing up trying to get a better look, others were sitting on the floor surrounding the performers, small groups were finding any possible place on a couch and throughout the night there was laughing, dancing, crying, singing and cheering from the crowd.
Several connections were made every hour by people who knew each other from class but never knew they shared interests or created the same style of art.
“I think it’s important that people have a place to express themselves like this,” Sophomore Krystnell Storr said.
Similar to other open mic settings, there was the high number of acoustic guitars scattered around the hall — in the kitchen, under a pile of coats or on top of someone’s lap. However, the diversity of material performed and the ways in which they were presented at this show would surprise most concert-goers.
Junior Max Shannon, psychobiology major, played a song by The Tallest Man on Earth, an underground folk artist from Sweden. The song, “The Gardener,” was a melodic song written for a unique voice that matched the open-mic performer closely. Screams and yells of joy and appreciation filled the room, as more people showed up after each act.
Senior Josh Friedberg, English major, performed two songs on guitar and sang an a capella version of James Taylor’s “Carolina On My Mind.”
After his performance, Friedberg said, “It was a really good crowd despite the hot room. I had a lot of fun. It was also powerful listening to a couple of the poets.”
The attention that Friedberg gave to the poets before him was a shared respect from many of the performers. Compliments and praise were given in announcement form, as well as from one student to another.
The student community of Earlham College was supportive enough for the event to bring over a hundred people throughout the night.
Watson said, “We are planning to have another open mic in April, and I’m really excited for it!”
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