Coffeehouse Review
The Drakes played on February 26th at Coffeehouse
It was Friday night, February 26th, and the audience murmured excitedly as they waited for the coffeehouse to begin. The walls were adorned with artwork and photography from MHS’s talented art students, setting the scene for a night of creativity and music.
The night started off with some spoken word from sophomore Jane Taylor. Jane’s return has been long anticipated, ever since she performed the powerful and provocative “Bitch” at the first coffeehouse of the year. Her voice rang clear and strong as she read a poignant poem about eating disorders, leaving the audience thoughtful and stirred.
Billy Hughes also made a return on Friday night with “Gary Busey Tweets (Part II),” a tasteful selection of tweets that explore the human condition in a fresh, revealing light. Questions were asked, statements were made, and nothing was answered. Still, one surely made discoveries about oneself while listening to Billy’s performance.
The Drakes took to the stage with Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.” Andy Jung, longtime coffeehouse performer, once again stunned listeners with his sublime vocals. The song was enhanced with Whitney Xu on cello and Brian Culligan on upright bass, adding depth and intensity to the already emotional melody. An audience member commented that Andy’s voice “always sounds pre recorded. I’m blown away every time.” We think so too.
Some new appearances were made as well. Grace Van Cleef performed two songs accompanied by Sabrina Liu, freshman, on piano. The two sang a moving rendition of “Say Something,” which, though many agree is over-performed, was still very emotional and interesting to listen to. Their voices differ greatly in quality, which made the performance versatile.
Christian Watson and Sam Anderson delivered a spoken word rendition of ¨Ẍ Gon Give it To Ya,” by DMX, which was genius in its simplicity.
Kelly Notine surprised everyone with an emotional and moving poem she authored herself, detailing a life of mental illness and dealing with a loved one who refused to acknowledge the pain that comes with depression. The performance was filled with strident and accusatory lines, coupled with musings of love and grief, which overall created an incredibly powerful performance that shocked listeners. Her courage shone brightly in her reading.
Austin Oleson and Brandon Morales paid tribute to David Bowie with their performance of “Starman,” sung with great gusto. Michael Bennett and Grant Claytor also made a very interesting duo, with Michael reciting a bizarre poem while Grant backed him appropriately on guitar.
After the scheduled performances, open mic was set up and any members of the audience who were interested in performing were given the chance to do so. Elizabeth Monkemeier and Melina Baez, who claimed they hadn’t practiced in a while, delivered a haunting and beautiful performance of Hozier’s hit, “Take Me To Church.” Austin and Brandon returned to the stage to play everybody’s favorite song, “Wonderwall” by Oasis. Meanwhile, the audience danced and clapped along as the boys sang their hearts out. Kevin Travers recited a short poem that held a special place in his heart.
Despite everyone’s efforts, Crod was unable to perform with his kendama, to the chagrin of maybe four people. There were many attempts to get him onstage, but time ran out in the end and Crod’s skill went unappreciated. This injustice will be accounted for at the next coffeehouse, date and time to be announced.
Special thanks for Brian Culligan for supplying the event with his audio equipment.
Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees
Belle and Sebastian – The Fox in the Snow
