Local Musician Showcase at Coffee Cat

For many Auburn students Coffee Cat is as either a place to get hot coffee or a place to study, but that is not its only appeal.

This past Wednesday the coffee shop played host to an assortment of acoustic musicians from the Auburn and Opelika area. Two speakers, a skinny microphone stand, and 6 local, talented singer-songwriters combined to perform an Acoustic Showcase for patrons at the Coffee Shop.

Cannon Hyche was the first musician of the night. Better known as a member of the band Leeroy Gold, Hyche is also a co-founder of the local record label Sonic Sons. "[The local music scene] just blew our minds," Hyche said, "we decided we had to record these musicians and get their voices out." He points to Mac Demarco and Devendra Banhart as two of his biggest musical influences, "they taught me that it's okay to be weird, and it's okay to be who you are."

Next up was Timothy Collier. Having played live music with various bands in Auburn for the past 5 years, this was Collier's first time playing at Coffee Cat. Playing in those various bands and getting to perform live music here in Auburn is very important for Collier. "Living in Auburn, you can feel like the world is happening somewhere else," he said, "but when you have a local music scene, you can make things happen here."

Parsons, the third performer of the night, brought a shake up to the acoustic showcase. A member of the local band Radio Decay, Parsons described his sound as fitting more into the genre of "2000's pop punk with a mix of pop and alternative styles to stand out." Introduced to the microphone as being "the most fun way to get whiplash," his sound was noticeably different from other acoustic performers. Combine his unique music with his bright blue hair, and this performer was hard to miss.

The fourth performer of the night was Alex Horn. Usually playing with the band West Chewacla Rhythm Section, Horn is about to release his first solo EP, "Man Becomes Cat." As the name of the EP suggests, Horn's music often had a fun, almost silly side. "I sing with more of theatrical side," Horn said. "The silliness belies a depth though, because while my music talks about emotional problems, I add a little light dusting of comedy."

Next came Nate Coker. He opened his set by telling the audience that he "is indeed wearing his favorite pants," and then proceeded to sing songs about heartbreak and loss. Coker used to work at the Coffee Cat and was the first one to organize these acoustic showcases at the coffee shop.

The final performer of the night was Austin Arias. Prominently displaying his MTV beanie, Arias was the only musician who, for the most part, did not sing. Instead, for all but one of his songs he opted to play the instrumental version. Awash in his soothing guitar music the audience applauded as he closed out this night of musical showcase.

While not technically one of the performers, Cassidy Kulhanek was equally important to Wednesday night's performances. As the events coordinator for Coffee Cat, she is responsible for organizing any kind of performances that take place there. Luckily, she is, "pretty involved in the local music scene," which makes finding acoustic artists much easier. "[These kinds of events] do a lot for the coffee shop," Kulhanek said, "but it does a lot more for the music scene. It allows musicians to interact with each other and have an opportunity to share with an audience."