Sounds of singing and piano filled the air as students flocked to Susie’s for a lively evening of open mic festivity. Enthusiastic attendees gathered for a variety of reasons — some were keen to showcase their talents, while others came just for fun, singing with their friends in the shadowy atmosphere. Many were drawn by the irresistible aroma of crispy pizza quesadillas, another allure of the vibrant night.
Coffeehouse took place in Susie’s last Friday evening, offering students a chance to relax and enjoy themselves. In the beginning, performers were scarce. Over the hour, however, the room began to fill with students. Seeing the open mics, Anya Casey ’28 and Sophia Tolokh ’28 decided to sing, serenading the crowd with a myriad of songs.
“We didn’t really prepare anything [beforehand], I just came to Susie’s for a snack, and we realized that the mics were open, so we all just individually went up there and started singing, and we formed a little group,” said Casey
“I think it was pretty fun; we basically just turned it into a karaoke thing. We were pulling songs from everywhere. We were doing Disney songs, pop songs, musical theater songs,” added Tolokh.
They were joined by Alex Lin ’28, who accompanied them with her extensive piano expertise. Lin shared an unexpected, yet humorous, moment from her performance of “Golden Hour” by JVKE.
“There was a funny moment because I was playing the song and no one was singing at first. And then someone came up and started singing the American national anthem on top of Golden Hour, and that was pretty funny. My whole friend group was requesting songs, and I had to sight-read chord sheets. I used to play for a church band with them, so I messed up quite a lot of times. It was embarrassing but fun,” said Lin.
Many of the songs performed were improvised. Lin noted the challenge of selecting songs that everyone was familiar with and could play together. The spontaneity of the evening contributed to a supportive environment in which all students could participate.
“The audience and energy were very chill. In comparison to Karaoke Night, it was really chill because there weren’t a lot of people, but there were some people who would cheer and clap. There was no preparation process, [so] a challenge was coming up with songs that everybody knew and that people could play,” said Lin.
The atmosphere itself was a mix of lively, dim, and welcoming. Despite his unplanned attendance, Benjamin Levchin ’28 enjoyed the carefree, loud, and exciting energy throughout the room.
“I didn’t know it was a Coffeehouse. I just went there, and Coffeehouse happened… The energy was incredibly lively and very interesting. The Coffeehouse being put in the same area as the prior ramen event was a cool juxtaposition of culture. It was dark, and this one band kept coming on,” said Levchin.
Many students felt there were aspects to improve upon for future events. Casey and Tolokh commented on the lack of performers and expressed a desire for better advertisement. However, both still enjoyed their time at the event and plan to attend similar events in the future.
“I feel like the organizers could’ve let more people know about the event in advance, more engagement from the other people in Susie’s. I feel like by the end of it, not too many people knew about it. [It could be improved by] getting more acts and getting more of [Susie’s] involved,” said Casey.
