Last Thursday night offered a chance for Auburn students to showcase their lyrical creativity.
The event, co-hosted by Auburn's NAACP and BJPSA chapters, lasted just more than an hour and a half and featured the creative stylings of more than 10 singers, rappers, dancers, poets and performers. Even though most of the acts were spoken word, there were several acts featuring musicians.
With the lights dimmed, the atmosphere was anything but dull after the show opened with a lively performance by one of Auburn's own bands, Therapy.
Drummer and songwriter Alfred Body, a member of Therapy, contributed writing.
"Have you noticed that 65 to 85 percent of the poems tonight are about chicks," Body said, "Because 65 to 85 percent of his problems are about a chick. Without love there is no reason, no substance, for life."
Several familiar faces packed into the new Student Center as the music and movement took hold.
In its third year, the Lyricist Lounge is usually held once a month. However, this year there will only be two a semester--the next one being Oct. 23.
Katie Reid, the president of Auburn's NAACP chapter, said most of the people who were in the audience had performed before.
However, this didn't stop three new artists from showcasing their work in front of a live audience.
Rod Reedy was one of the newest acts.
Reedy has been writing poems for a while. Until Thursday he had posted his work on his Facebook page for only his friends to view.
When one of his latest poems received more than 20 comments, he decided to come to the Lyricist Lounge after reading about it online.
"The poems are from the heart," Reedy said, "They're just how I feel."
Reedy walked through his first poem, but after regaining his bearing came back with more rhythm than before and finished strong with a punch line that had the entire audience laughing.
This year's Lyricist Lounge offered a variety of talent.
The first few poems were written in a light and cheerful tone, but they weren't all carefree.
The third poet changed the mood after she shared three somber poems about a lost love, delusions of a party girl and searching for a purpose in life.
Some talked about winning at love, inequality, hot boxing and religion. One poet even declared himself to be God's gift to mankind.
Some of the many performances were personal.
D Scales, a local R&B artist, dedicated and performed a love ballet to his girlfriend who just so happened to be in the audience.
It might have been the free Chick-fil-A or maybe it was the moving performances, but an audience member was inspired to write her poem down on the event flier only minutes before her performance.
Although the audience was full of familiar faces, some of them came just to see Therapy.
Therapy, an R&B group, claims to be the "neo-therapeutic cure for dead music."
Their smooth and soulful playing style was enough to groove into first place the recent Battle of the Bands competition.
Therapy's six members played to open and close the performance.
Most of the crowd was familiar with their music and the light mood they set at the beginning continued throughout the evening.
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