It was an ordinary Wednesday night in the Student Center, the bustle of sandwich wrappers and friendly chatter in the air, when suddenly the sound of music pervaded the senses of every onlooker.
As people passed, they peered over the balcony to get a closer look at the activities in the foyer and even grooved to the tunes.
One stage, a handful of microphones and a crowd of people made an open mic hosted by an organization called JAM, or Just Arts and Music.
You could hear covers and originals, love songs and serenades, raps, rhymes and horns intertwined with deep conversation. The event offers a variety of performances since it is open to everyone who’s willing to get on stage.
“[You] really have no idea what you’re about to witness … It’s a surprise every week,” Colin Shannon, JAM president, said.
Some acts could be described as random or bizarre and others had captivating acoustics. While at first I got the impression this event would be exclusively reserved for folks with guitars, I was excited to see the pace change at the introduction of some new sounds.
One of my personal favorites was a ditty by local band The Rabbit Done Died, called “Maggie’s Broken Ballad.” With a mix of trumpet and saxophone, it left the whole crowd horn-y. If the horns didn’t coerce you, the powerful lyrics were sure to have you mesmerized.
Adam Sanabani’s beat boxing paired with the rap styling of Jacob White was another crowd pleaser, featuring beats so realistic I thought they came from a machine.
“It was very entertaining,” audience member Kurt Canyon said.
Every act was heartily supplied with applause.
The whole idea of an open mic is to welcome performers of all different calibers to strut their stuff for an eager audience.
Within a 10-minute or two-song set, emerging artists have an opportunity to gain recognition, while inexperienced musicians have a chance to get some practice on stage.
“It really helps you break down the nervousness of first time performance,” Seth Weddle, a JAM leader, said.
Another objective of Just Arts and Music’s open mics is to expand the musical community. Participants are not just friends and club members anymore. The organization, which, as Weddle said, “encourage[s] anyone to come up and perform,” has reeled in many freshmen and new performers.
JAM enters its fourth year hosting open mics, two as a formal organization, and has noted an exponential increase in attendance and participation. What was once a group of friends watching a few people play has turned into an event with a full sign-up list.
What can account for the increased interest in JAM’s open mics?
The microphones.
“The situation changes when a microphone’s involved,” Shannon said. “When we became an organization is also when we got microphones, and that’s probably when a lot of people became interested in playing.”
If JAM’s open mics sound like your scene, you might want to keep your ear to the ground for information on future events since most advertising comes from word of mouth. JAM will be hosting open mics at 9:15 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month on the ground floor stage of the Student Center.
The outlook for the rest of this year’s events looks promising.
“I’m really pumped about this year, and I hope we get a variety of performers,” Shannon said.
That’s not surprising, because as Seth Weddle put it, “People should feel right at home.”
I certainly did.
