STUDENTS SHOWCASE TALENT AT OPEN MIC NIGHT

Reflexes hosts Open Mic Night for students to showcase their talents. 
Photo Courtesy of, Lydia McGee

On March 30, students and staff gathered by Subway Sides to participate in Open Mic Night, sponsored by the recently revived Reflexes magazine. The night saw performances ranging from poetry readings to standup comedy to poetic rants to acoustic renditions of popular songs, some upon request.

    Both the editor-in-chief of Reflexes James Trent and Dr. O’Haynes, faculty advisor to the magazine, were in attendance. They see Open Mic Night as a great opportunity to spread the word about Reflexes, as it showcases a lot of what the magazine accepts as submissions for display: “Reflexes is currently accepting artwork, poetry, short story, all kinds of videos like comedy skits or dances, or musical performances. Basically anything that can be put into a file, Reflexes is accepting it for publication. One of the most important things a group can do, especially one that requires a give and take with the rest of the campus like Reflexes, is have a reputation. So for people coming to Open Mic Night and seeing that Reflexes sponsored it, it’s a fantastic way to make sure people know who we are,” states Trent.

    One Concord music major sang two songs for the event under the stage name Kayla Dawn. “I always love to participate in the student events, but I love to sing and anything that involves music so I wanted to go and watch the other students. The students need to have outlets for creativity and it’s nice listening to others’ art,” she stated. For her, it was an opportunity to showcase her talent without the added performance anxiety. “I get less nervous singing unplanned songs like last night than when I have a performance for my degree.”

Trent agrees that the atmosphere allows for creativity but is also completely open. “For the campus at large, it’s a fantastic showcase of the variety of talent on campus, without any competitive or judgmental tone hanging over it. Obviously everyone wants to do their best when they perform, but there’s really great benefits of having a place like Open Mic Nights where people can do their best while not worrying about failing. It’s a place for people to come and have fun with their friends, or practice their own routines or songs in a safe atmosphere,” says Trent.

    Trent continues, “Personally, the two acts I loved the most were when the Dean of Admissions, Greg King, and Andrew Sulgit, Director of Student Activities, performed ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’ by Bon Jovi, and when one of the acts did an acoustic version of ‘Hey Ya.’ Seeing people in authority around campus come and let loose, and do really well, was fantastic.”

    Livi Pearson was one of the talented poets that read at the event. “That whole thing was fun. I heard about it from my creative writing teacher and I am a poet so I thought why not. I think it is important because it brings a lot of people together.” Pearson is also a singer and volunteered a song that night in addition to his poetry readings. He has performed in his hometown in Virginia before, but “not very long to be honest. I hope more often. But poetry is my biggest passion.”

    “I think it was really a fantastic show, everyone who performed did a phenomenal job. The music was great, the spoken pieces were amazing and genuine, and everyone who was there seemed to be having a blast,” mentions James. “I really couldn’t have asked for more.”

    Trent did have some things in mind to improve the event in the case that Reflexes holds another Open Mic Night next semester. “Reflexes is tossing a few ideas around for things to do next year, like maybe advertising around Athens and opening it to the public, or recording it next time and putting it up on the Reflexes website. Nothing’s final at the moment.”

    To visit Reflexes website, you can find it at www.concord.edu/humanities/node/10.