By Shaun Fitzpatrick
Correspondent
The Rathskeller played host to a number of talents on Friday Oct. 16 for Student Soloist Night. The event, sponsored by the College Union Board (CUB), featured six musicians who did their best to excite the largely apathetic crowd.
Many of the student performers were Rathskeller veterans. Junior graphic design major Colleen. Napolitano is no stranger to playing at the College. She opened for the band Sugartime just a few weeks ago. Playing under the name White Star City, she covered the Misfits and Saves the Day, while playing some of her own material on acoustic guitar. Although she tried to involve the audience in her act, even asking it to help her name a new song she performed, her strong performance was greeted with weak applause.
Fellow vet, senior chemical engineering major Dave Ginsberg, closed out the night with several well-known acoustic covers including Death Cab for Cutie and Jason Mraz.
After playing “You and I Both” to applause from the audience, Ginsberg joked about a previous performance at the Rat.
“I got flamed by The Signal for this last time,” he said.
Despite performing mostly what he termed “vagina music,” Ginsberg ended the night on a lighthearted note, much to the enjoyment of those left at the Rathskeller.
After a brief technical problem with the sound, sophomore international studies major Maggie Pakutka sang and played the guitar under the pseudonym “Maggie and the Hat” early into the show. A highlight from her set included a song dubbed “The Key Guy,” which referenced various College landmarks, such as the fountain in the center of the Science Complex and Cromwell Hall. Pakutka encouraged audience members to take a copy of her EP “Rooftop Garden.”
Senior communications studies major Cat Cosentino kicked off the night by singing a number of original songs on acoustic guitar, creating a mellow atmosphere for listening diners.Her vocals were strong and her songs well-written, however, she was not able to capture the attention of the audience. She did, however, get applause and some laughter, particularly after telling the crowd a story about two homeless men she had recently befriended.
Playing back-to-back were sophomore political science major Patrick Alexander and sophomore English education major Christian Fernandez. Alexander, who received weak applause throughout his set, did excite a table of fans at one point when he pulled out a harmonica and proceeded to play it, along with his guitar, and sing all in the course of one song.
Fernandez followed with a series of skillfully-played covers, including Jimmy Eat World and The Starting Line. He also performed an untitled original piece, which he said was about “getting drunk and making a fool of yourself at college.” During his last song, a few diners began waving their cell phones in the air, concert style, in an amusing show of appreciation.
