By Taylor Johnson, Nick Ubels (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: February 6, 2013
Bar patrons at AfterMath last Wednesday were in for a big surprise when CIVL station manager Aaron Levy came out of retirement for his first public performance since leaving Ontario for the West Coast.
Armed with only vox and guitar, Levy stormed through a medley of covers including Sinead O’Connor and Bruce Springsteen cuts at the inaugural edition of what CIVL hopes will be monthly open mic nights. From 7 p.m. to a little after 10, the campus lounge was filled with both students and non-students sharing drinks, music and poetry.
It was difficult to find a seat among the guitar-toting participants; AfterMath staff were seen bouncing from table to table. CIVL was happy to see a full house.
The station plans to host an open mic the second Wednesday of every month. They’re focusing on bringing students together, to share music and draw attention to student events on campus. All performances were recorded and with the permission of the performer, they will be shared on air.
CIVL hopes that the event will also draw attention to the musical talent on campus and allow students to enjoy the work of their peers. Last Wednesday’s event consisted of a few unexpected contributions, since there was no requirement to sign up; the signup sheet was passed around AfterMath, allowing anyone to jot down their name or that of a friend.
A couple highlights from the night included a comical poem set in Abbotsford Jubilee Park, which advised the audience to avoid romantic encounters in the park’s trees. A peaceful ukulele solo brought the audience to sunny Hawaii.
One of the nights biggest hits was a vocals and guitar duet, who were called back up on stage in an encore by the audience to preform again.
If you are interesting in attending a CIVL open mic in the future, notifications will be available through the radio station’s Facebook page.
