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Printer-Friendly ModeSVSU alum highlights coffeehouse event
February 12, 2007 —
The Cardinal Cage became a coffeehouse on Wednesday, complete with live music, poetry, and of course coffee. Program Board sponsored the evening, the first of three in its "Coffeehouse Series."
Nathan Bade kicked off the evening with soulful acoustic guitar and introspective lyrics. He played original songs on topics ranging from childhood friends to the plight of his younger cousin, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
Phil Fibranz, who also performed an acoustic guitar set, followed Bade's opening act. Fibranz only performed for a few minutes, as he was a last-minute replacement for the second scheduled band for the evening.
Following the opening acts, the mic was turned over to the audience for any willing amateur performers. After some hesitation, the audience got involved: in total, four students took the stage to tell stories and read original poems.
The coffeehouse-themed evening was made possible thanks to Program Board, who brought the idea back from the National Association for Campus Activities Conference they attended last fall. By all accounts, the evening was a success, and well-attended. About 40 students came to listen to live music and try their hand at poetry storytelling.
Josh Parker, Program Chair of the Program Board, emceed the program and was pleased with the evening. "The event turned out really great," he remarked, in spite of complications. "We had one more band scheduled for tonight, but had a last-minute cancellation."
The Coffeehouse Series also had some competition from the Cardinal Sins, who held their "Slamoramaglamajama" event with poetry, live music and an open-mic session just down the hall from the Program Board's coffeehouse event. Parker remarked he was "very happy with the turnout [considering] all that is going on around here," and stated his wish for the subsequent evenings to get "bigger and bigger."
Program Board will get its chance to be bigger and better, as there are two more events scheduled. The next event is coming up on March 14 from 9 to 11 p.m. in the Cardinal Cage. Parker expressed his excitement for the upcoming event, stating that he was already gathering bands to perform for the first half of the evening.