Anna Wolf
Contributing Writer
A November chill spreads across campus, with frost settling on the ground and the sun dimming too early. Students trek across campus in the silent dark, their breath misting in front of their faces. In the distance, the warm glow of Common Grounds can be seen, and if you listen closely, the faint sound of a guitar can be heard. If you were to enter the building, you would be greeted with students packed shoulder to shoulder, quietly listening to different performers sing and play keyboard or guitar.
If you were in Common Grounds last Friday evening for Acoustic Covers hosted by The Goliard literary magazine, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Students from across campus jammed into every available inch of Gable House to hear their fellow students’ musical performances. Most of the planning that went into Acoustic Covers was thanks to co-editors-in-chief of The Goliard Sharah Hutson ’20 and Ingrid Buckley ’20. Also included in planning were treasurer Neva Derewetzky ’20, and secretary Alex Doone ’20.
According to Buckley, the goal of Acoustic Covers was to “create a space where folks could play and enjoy music in a different type of atmosphere” than the monthly Covers event that The Goliard hosts in the Underground where full bands play typically electric covers of songs. Hutson was concerned about students who experience sensory overload at this monthly event, saying, “I was worried about students who did not feel included in Covers and/or did not want to do songs that are so high energy.”
In general, Covers appeals to many different groups across campus. What college student doesn’t like music and a free event? The Goliard plans to keep doing monthly at The Underground, as students seem to love to attend. In addition, Buckley currently hopes to have one more Acoustic Covers event next semester, as The Goliard has received plenty of support in favor of it.
One of the goals of the event was to encourage new musicians to perform, and it certainly seems that this was a success. As a fellow student musician who performs in a band, I appreciate the thought behind this event — there’s often limited opportunities for student musicians to perform in a non-formal setting in front of their classmates, and Covers is certainly a viable way for them to gain confidence in their performance skills as well as a following on campus.
Some of my favorite performances were songs that students performed that were in a different language. Even if you couldn’t understand the lyrics, you could still understand the emotional depth behind the words and how much the song meant to the person who was performing it. I was always impressed with those performers who managed to sing and play an instrument at the same time — the multitasking involved in this was truly astonishing.
Also entertaining to watch were the duets performed, where singers would harmonize with each other. As someone with no singing ability, it is always amazing to see how singers can create songs together.
I enjoyed the sense of community the event created, as every- one was free to discuss what they thought between performances. The amount of support showcased for each individual performance was also impressive. No matter the level of ability, the audience made sure to shower each student performer with love and support.
The next time a Covers performance comes around, I would highly recommend that you check it out if you haven’t already. You may be surprised at the hidden talents your fellow Wooster students possess.