On Saturday November 8th in the Global Heritage Hall (GHH) Atrium WQRI hosted their annual Open Mic Night, an event open for all students to showcase their talents through music, poetry, and comedy. The theme for the event was Decades of Music and guests were encouraged to dress as their favorite musical era. Throughout the evening hot chocolate and desserts such as cake pops and cookies were available for attendees to enjoy.
First up on the setlist was Olivia Sorrell singing “All I Ask” by Adele. This was a strong start to an impressive evening of talent with Sorrell’s vocals silencing GHH, all while encompassing the raw and heavy emotions of the song. Alexa Benson-Amarante followed with two original poems. The first titled “Sweetheart” brought the audience through heartbreak and loss while the second titled, “Barbie Girl” showed the truths of feminine image in a male dominated world.
Amanda Walsh, filled GHH with laughter telling her tales of lifeguarding at the YMCA. Ryan Tierny brought the decade’s theme to life with a rendition of “Name” by The Goo Goo Dolls on the guitar, a definite highlight of the night! To keep the music theme going, Hawkward, one of RWU’s Acapella groups, performed two beautiful pieces that echoed through GHH. The first, “Erase Me” originally sung by Lizzy McAlpine and the second, “Love Runs Out” by One Republic.
Jeffrey Powers sang “Love Club” by Lorde and Hozier’s “Nobody”. Matt Maddan recited two original poems one titled, “Five Foot Six” combined comedy and self love while the other titled, “The Invisible Visibility” discussed the concepts of truth and reality in a changing world. Ash Maier shared a collection of four original poems which each unpacked feelings of lost love in a beautifully heartbreaking way.
Zachary Wasserman performed “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars and the audience was sure to illuminate the stage with their phone flashlights and sway along. Drastic Measures, another of RWU’s acapella groups, performed “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, bringing the decades theme back to the 2010s. Anika Farley, a Drastic Measures member, quickly got ready to perform “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan following the acapella group number.
Finn Audette recited two original and thought provoking poems the first titled, “Tredmill” discussed the ever changing world and encapsulated the emotions tied to always feeling a step behind. Audette’s second poem toyed with the comedy behind online ad targeting in conjunction with the harsh realities of social media and AI on mental health, image, and creativity.
Maraynah Vasconcelos sang “Numbers” by Melanie Martinez, followed by Haley Johnson singing “Velvet Ring” by Big Thief and accompanying herself on guitar, then Cassidy Methot sang “All I Ask” by Adele.
The song “Please Do Not Go”, originally performed by The Violent Femmes, had the audience begging RWU band Three People not to go, but they quickly transformed into The Changing Room adding three additional band members. The Changing Room performed “Paper Bag” by Fiona Apple followed by “Me and Mrs. Jones” which had the audience amazed throughout the performance. From vocals, to guitar, to bass and saxophone solos, The Changing Room closed off the night in style.
Closing out the evening WQRI offered free swag such as stickers, buttons, tote bags, and more, making Open Mic Night an event not to be missed!
