Heavy rain during Tuesday evening’s Open Mic Night resulted in a slow start for the ongoing art showcase. The couches and round tables of the cafe, located in the Tabler Arts Center, were largely unfilled at the start, and many patrons opted to sit towards the back of the cafe.
A lack of sign-ups plagued the first 45 minutes of the night, and many audience members began to trickle out as acts were given extended time for their sets. Most acts were spontaneous decisions.
However, there were no major lulls, but rather friendly banter between the performers and the audience, which helped set a casual, yet motivated mood.
The event organizers handed visitors PDA’s with a survey on campus dinning, as they made their way inside the cafe.
Although most of the performances were a combination of guitar and vocals, each act managed to be unique, and the overall event was fairly varied as a result.
Covers of known songs were by far the most popular choice, and notable acts included an acoustic guitar duet of Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” and Oasis’ “Let There Be Love.” The audience appeared to be made up of mostly Tabler Quad residents and consistent patrons.
Those who performed sometimes called out to individuals they knew in the audience while some audience members often shouted words of encouragement to performers.
Electric guitar players covered several songs – the accompaniment of a mini-keyboard present in one act was a pleasant, if not unusual, addition.
The appearance of Patrice Zapiti and Max Tietze of Mother F’Nature helped rouse the audience once again. Equipped with acoustic guitars, the duo performed three covers and one original piece. Their cover of Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” was even dedicated to a student named “Jessica” who attempted to leave during the act previous, but was called back by Zapiti.
Increasing numbers of patrons began to arrive and fill nearly all available seats as they were greeted by original electric guitar pieces by Carlos Parreno and Henry Schiller.
However, the most popular performance of the night was by Roy Lotz, who sang covers of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” Frank Sinatra’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” and The Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man” with a name-tag-covered, acoustic guitar. His rendition of “Hey Jude” encouraged the audience to sing along, and the end of his act was met with applause and requests for more.
Despite the rain and minimal number of acts, this week’s Open Mic Night managed to attract a sizable and enthusiastic crowd.
Although the range of acts at this installment was rather limited, the laid-back attitude and live music made the Tabler Cafe a charming place to spend the rainy night.
