The first and third Wednesday of every month in Lobos isn’t the typical atmosphere that one is used to seeing at Lobos. There’s no sports on the TV or a line at the pool table, instead, Open Mic Night takes hold of the venue.
Sonoma State University kicked off the school year with the first open mic night on Wednesday. Seawolves arrived with curiosity and excitement for hearing student talent fill the room. Gabe Duran, live performance coordinator of Associated Students Productions, is responsible for anything student performance related at Sonoma State.
Not only is Open Mic Night one of the biggest events Duran is responsible for, but he also coordinates the Tunes at Noon. Duran, as well as the other students who help run these musical events, want to foster an open environment within Sonoma State so that everyone has a community to belong to.
Returning student Ang Ross holds these open mics near to her heart. “It’s very accepting. You meet a whole bunch of people from different backgrounds, but we all have a common connection, which is music,” she said.
Various students across Sonoma State attend this event. Regardless of a student’s major, talent and age, everyone is welcome to watch and/or participate at these events.
Starting at 7:30 p.m., students were able to sign up on a first-come first-serve basis. Attendees trickled in, grabbing food and beer from the bar to enjoy the night of talent. The night consisted of performances by a wide range of songs like John Mayer’s “Daughters,” Beyonce’s “Halo,” to Frank Ocean’s “Thinking Bout You.”
Audience participation only added to the lively atmosphere. As students performed, the student audience swayed, clapped along, sang along and even participated in a “call and response”. One student sang Nelly’s “Ride Wit Me” which naturally prompts others to respond back “hey, must be the money” periodically throughout the song.
Freshman Hannah Hobbs performed an acoustic rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You” which entranced the crowd. When asked what brought her to perform tonight, Hobbs said, “I’ve loved to sing ever since I was two years old, so it’s kind of like second nature. And I thought, why not wing it and do something that I will remember and be proud of.”
Freshmen aren’t the only ones who enjoy this night. This is the first time that fifth-year Kelsey Thompson attended this event. Between being a Kinesiology major and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, her busy schedule doesn’t necessarily allow for any other extra-curricular activities.
However, she finally had some spare time and showed great excitement as she attended the event. “I’ve never been to open mic night, but I’ve always wanted to go. This is the first semester I’ve had free time and there’s so many things that I’ve been wanting to do, and this is one of them,” said Thompson.
As Thompson shows, age and year don’t make a difference in attending these events. They’re open for everyone and Duran and all of ASP are working to create entertaining events. Catch the talent again at the next Open Mic Night taking place every first and third Wednesday.
