Students show off talent at open mic night

By | March 25, 2011

The Daily Collegian

Donning Nikes and a baseball hat, Chris Good instructed the audience how to “move” Thursday night in the Waring Study Lounge.

Performing for the Students Organizing the Multiple Arts monthly open mic night at 8:00, Good made the audience clap along with Hanson’s “MMMBop” and sway to his original “Make You Move.”

Good, a member of the Penn State Songwriters Club, came out Thursday night to play acoustic rock and entertain the crowd, he said. A regular at Rotelli, 250 E. Calder Way, and other local venues, Good performed in high school, accompanying himself on guitar.

But music is more than just something to play, he said.

“It’s my form of release,” Good (freshman-electrical engineering) said. “It’s about getting emotions out.”

And for most musicians, the open mic night is a regular place to play, SOMA Open Mic Night Chairwoman Amanda Earle said.

While the event did fall on the same night as the on- campus Jane Goodall speech, Earle was optimistic for the turnout. Though numbers didn’t reach their normal expectancy, she said she expected some of their regulars.

But as a whole, the nights have been very successful, Earle (junior-psychology) said.

“It always starts out slow and kind of scares us,” she said, “but by the end, we have a really good crowd. It’s been a great year.”

Earle even showed off her singing skills at the open mic night, performing Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ “Home” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” after declaring herself strictly a “shower singer.”

Earle even had the crowd singing along, clapping and humming the tune.

SOMA member Jarrett Hawrylak, a supporter of Earle’s singing and jokes, said he was excited for the evening and the music that came with it.

The open mic nights offer a range of regulars, as well as SOMA members who take the opportunity to perform at the smaller venues, Hawrylak (senior-computer engineering) said.

But the nights are always a good chance for new students to come out and show their stuff, he said.

“It’s always good to see fresh faces,” Hawrylak said.

The laid back atmosphere, as well as the location in the study lounge, allow for studying and listening, which is a huge bonus for students who have work to do, he said.

“I came here tonight because I can still study and enjoy performances,” he said. “I don’t think I can exactly do that at Jane Goodall.”

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