UPC's Open Mic Night brought the talented of Auburn's student population out of the woodwork, as aspiring bands, comedians, poets and even magicians took advantage of the free stage time.
John and the Conners highlighted Open Mic Night with a performance of their original, self-described "vanilla" music.
"Alternative folk," said Chris Williams, sophomore in prelandscape architecture. "We write all our own stuff, and that's what we like to sing. I'm really influenced by Ryan Adams and Wilco and stuff like that."
The band features a Cajon drum, played by Tyler Wallace, sophomore in visual communications, acoustic guitar and vocals by Williams, banjo by Travis Widner, senior in wireless hardware engineering, and guitar and harmonica by Andy Cox, senior in graphic design.
Playing regularly at the Olde Auburn Ale House, the band also plays shows at the Irish Bred Pub, where they will be performing Nov. 27.
"The Ale House is our home," Williams said. "That's where we started, and that's where we'll always be."
A welcome change of pace came from Chris Kolar, freshman in electrical engineering, who stepped up to the microphone to perform a few card tricks.
Kolar performed using volunteers, and even pulled a card out of his mouth to finish one trick.
"I was actually coming to Starbucks to get some coffee and I saw this was going on," Kolar said. "I was like, 'I got cards in my back pack, I'll improvise and do it right now.'"
Another band that stood out at Open Mic Night was Just Mark, a duo of Mark Norton on Cajon drum and Justin Lattrell, sophomore in aerospace engineering on acoustic guitar that urged the crowd to sing along as they played.
Norton, sophomore in mechanical engineering, said, "The first time we really played together was open mics, so whenever we see one, we just come out and play."
Just Mark performs regularly at Church of the Highlands and has played Tiger Nights and Battle of the Bands. They plan to release their first EP January 15, 2011.
"We're almost done with an EP that we're about to start passing out and trying to get, you know, maybe the front room at SkyBar or whatever," Norton said.
Music and magic did not make up the entirety of the night, though, with spoken word and stand-up comedy proving themselves as Open Mic Night staples.
Mason Jenkins, freshman in pre-mechanical engineering was one of the comedians. His act included jokes about himself naked and even a chloroform joke--a request from the crowd.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
