By Riley Eisenbeil
Staff Writer
In a night filled with an assortment of sweet treats and drinks, the College Union Board’s Alternative Group (CUB ALT) hosted their spring coffeehouse to celebrate the magic that is live music. The coffeehouse took place on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Traditions Lounge.
Three students took the stage throughout the event, each performing about a 20 minute set.
Sophomore elementary education and psychology dual major Sydney Lidz took the stage first with her acoustic guitar.
“I haven’t done this since high school, so bare with me,” Lidz said before starting.
Lidz performed five alternative/indie rock and folk songs from artists like Caamp, Jackson Browne and The Tallest Man on Earth. Her voice had a certain softness that, when paired with an acoustic guitar, made it feel like audience members were at a jam sesh around a bonfire.
She doesn’t tell a lot of people about her musicality, but her two close friends who did know were sitting front and center cheering her.
“They were the only two people that I wanted to hear so it was nice having them there,” Lidz said.
Lidz kept smiling at her phone propped up on the floor at the beginning of her set. After the first song, she revealed that her sister was on FaceTime throughout her performance for extra support.
Junior speech language pathology major Shelly Bennett also had a lot of supporters in the crowd. Her sibling and friends filled up most of the front row with spillage into the side aisle.
Bennett has performed at two coffeehouses before this — one during each semester of her sophomore year.
This semester she took the stage with her acoustic guitar to perform an original song about heartbreak titled, “If I Give You The World.”
“This is the first time playing [it] for a crowd,” Bennett said before the show. “I’m very nervous, but I’m excited. I’m excited to share it because I think a lot of people will relate to it.”
Within a minute of the song, Bennett’s sibling took off their glasses to wipe away tears, and when she finished performing, they screamed louder than anyone else.
Aside from her big debut, she came with a pretty diverse set list. She covered Journey, Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes and closed out with Weezer because, “everyone loves the Weez,” Bennett said.
Originally, Matt Vento was supposed to perform, but after he had to cancel at the last minute, senior biology major Shreya Ranadive stepped up to fill the spot.
“I’ve been doing these once a semester since my freshman year, and it’s my senior year now,” Ranadive said. “I knew it was last minute but I just did it because I don’t want to have regrets.”
For her last time up on the coffeehouse stage, Ranadive sang pop songs that most people were bopping around or tapping their feet to. Ranadive started and ended with songs by Ariana Grande and filled the gap with Rihanna, Dua Lipa and James Arthur.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ranadive said. “I’m really sad that I won’t be doing it anymore.”
Junior elementary/special education and ISTEM major Ben Fanta has gone to a few of the coffeehouses that CUB ALT has hosted in past semesters.
“[This coffeehouse] provided me with opportunities to meet new people and take breaks from my hectic schedule,” he said. “I definitely enjoy the social aspect of coffeehouses and getting to know people. I feel as though they really help to build community on campus.”
