By Maura Mulvihill
The Rods x Relish Open Mic Night was a sight to behold. With raindrops bouncing off the windows and the old rickety heating units making mysterious sounds, it felt like mother nature was waiting to hop on the mic herself. With the room illuminated by string lights and an audience watching from behind the counter, draped over couches, or huddled on the floor, the room is welcoming to performers of all kinds.
First up was Diana Paradise performing a cover of “Swan Dive” by Waxahatchee. One thing I love about open mics is all the new songs I get to hear! I have seen Diana perform at Rod’s open mics before and trust me…they never disappoint. With beautiful vocals accompanied by their playing on the piano, it was a subtle but beautiful beginning to the night.
Next, with a COMPLETELY different vibe, was Relish’s very own Alan C. Ventura. Alan took a seat behind the mic and began to freestyle rap! My mind was blown. Alan’s mind was moving faster than I could type, so somehow the only line of his I was able to recollect was, “Feed em vegan beef and fries,” a line that had the audience laughing and gasping all at once.
Following Alan came an open mic regular, a one man act who goes by “Lavas Las Manos.” Lavas Las Manos is a self-described reggaeton singer who performs both covers and original pieces. First, he performed a cover of “Touch Me” by The Doors. Keep in mind, this is reggaeton music, people. He translated the whole song into Spanish and created his own backtrack, while still paying homage to the original song. Next he performed an original song that also featured his own backtrack with relaxing thunder and sitar samples. Lavas Las Manos is always original and fun to watch!
Next up was a member of the Fordham Hot Notes! Tony Cuellar covered Taylor Swift’s “You’re On Your Own Kid,” completely a capella! This open mic night just happened to be on the first day of ticket sales for Swift’s upcoming tour, so I found the song choice to be very on the nose. Cuellar’s amazing, deep voice gave the audience a new spin on the song and left me wanting to buy tickets to Swift’s concert myself! Or… at least the next Hot Notes’s showcase.
Next on the mic was Liz Shim, who really set the mood with a cover of “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. Shim really knows how to hit the high notes and had the audience cheering by the end of the song! She had me looking forward to Christmas even more. Liz also records her own original music! Check out some of her new songs on Spotify!
Nearing the end of the show, Samuel Parker performed two songs for the audience. First was an original he wrote called, “The Language of Love.” Parker played guitar and sang his super sweet lyrics about all the different ways we can love each other. Rod’s president Beckett Zinn-Rowthorn told me this song inspired him to do some self-reflection, and he is finally ready to admit that his love language is “antique coins!” Next, Parker performed a cover of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” which, with his combined impressive piano and harmonica playing, was a real crowd pleaser!
Finally, to end the night was another open mic regular, Bruno Pruhs, performing an original song he wrote that very morning! Pruhs played intricate guitar rhythms and sang his original Spanish lyrics for a short but sweet ending to the night.
The Relish x Rods collab was the perfect combination of everything I love about an open mic night. There was such a variety of music and performers, old and new! Rod’s open mics are a great opportunity to perform music, get to know some of Fordham’s student artists, or just hang with friends and watch some free tunes! Hope to see you all at the next one!
