by Caroline McCarthy, Staff Writer
The 2019-2020 school year’s first Coffeehouse started off by proving that anything can be slam poetry if you believe in it, even the song “All Star” by Smashmouth.
It also featured the comedic stylings of Tristan Vieira, along with a Dos Gringos tribute band – accurately entitled, Tres Gringos – a unique progmetal cover of “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson, and authentic stories of African heritage such as what it was like to watch the Lion King among actual lions.
Coffeehouse is an open mic night hosted in Hayden Hall once a month. Students feature their talents in stand up comedy, poetry, or music in an inclusive, supportive environment.
Hosts Erin McWilliams, Joe Corrao and Chantal Flores coordinate the event. They do everything from filling in segments to setting up sound equipment to actually going on coffee runs.
“Coffeehouse had been passed down from old Scatterbomb people to other performing arts people to people who just loved Coffeehouse and now it’s under the direction of me, Joe and Chantal,” said Erin McWilliams, host and organizer.
Originally, Coffeehouse was sponsored by Manhattan Magazine. As time went on, it became the product of Residence Life, Scatterbomb, and is now a part of the Sanctus Artem art club. Management positions are open to student volunteers who are passionate about the event.
While some Scatterbomb performers like to take a break from improv and share their other hidden talents on the Coffeehouse stage, the majority of performers are regular students looking for a creative outlet.
“Everyone from all corners of the campus has the opportunity to come and do whatever. This is the first coffeehouse of the year and we’ve already had such diverse performances. It’s so great to see that everyone is so supportive and brave enough to put themselves out there,” said McWilliams.
Comedian Tristan Vieira had the crowd rolling as he told the quick-witted story of the time he found himself in a car with a vengeful biker, a gun, burner phones, and an abundance of 7-11 mini cookies.
“My friend Katie was going to go up and perform, I was here for emotional support. But then she chickened out. That was just a story that happened,” Tristan Vieira.
This was Vieira’s first time performing on the Coffeehouse stage, and had it not been for a little stage fright, the audience might have never known this truly hilarious tale.
Junior Cristina Catana and seniors Elliot Fischer and Thomas Glynn also shared their first performance last Tuesday. Their band, a parody of Dos Gringos, belted out hits like “The Hound War Song,” and even brought special guests from the audience on stage to sing along!
“We’re all fans of this band, Dos Gringos. Tom here plays a mean guitar and I sing so we figured to give it a try,” Cristina, Tres Gringos’ lead vocalist.
Tres Gringos, along with some other Coffeehouse performers, will also be performing at the Sanctus Artem art show on Nov. 16th. They also plan to attend the next Coffeehouse event, which is soon to be announced on campus.