EAR Hosts Coffee House Concert
The rhythmic sounds of cymbals and guitar strings echoed throughout the packed Phelps Commons on Friday Nov. 1. Students surrounded the performers, leaning forward in their seats to watch their fellow classmates in the Exeter Association of Rock (EAR) Coffeehouse Concert.
In contrast to previous years, EAR hosted the coffeehouse in the Commons, more commonly known as Agora, instead of a large E/a concert after the fall Pep Rally. Lower Trevor Chun stayed optimistic about the change. “We at least have something during this term…there won't be any EAR concert after the Pep Rally, which kind of sucks, but that’s why we have this,” he said.
Although different, the Coffeehouse is not a new concept for the club. Senior and EAR cohead Jack Liu attributed the idea to a memory from earlier in his Exeter career. “The inspiration for a concert was, well, we haven’t had one of these since my prep year, actually. It seemed really cool to have that in Agora,” he said. “It's really laid back. We just try to connect other musicians together. ”
Many students enjoyed the more laidback experience of the concert. “It’s really good informal capacity for people to play music if they are associated with EAR,” upper and performer Chloe Minnicucci said. “Playing on stage at Assembly is a big thing. You know, you’re doing it for the whole school. But the great thing about the coffeehouse is it’s in Agora, so people will cycle through.”
This year, EAR began to form bands by shared musical interests. “They sent out a music interest form and then people typed in like what music they like,” lower and performer Allison Kim said. “This year, it’s more organized.”
For many performers in the concert, music was a large part of their life growing up. “Since I was three or five, my parents would put on CDs in their minivan and I would play it on my boombox,” upper Chloe Minnicucci said. “I’ve been a fan of music pretty much since I was born.”
EAR gave many of the performers an opportunity to share their passions in rock and pop music. “I think at Exeter there’s a lot of music-related opportunities for classical music but not that much [for] popular music,” Kim said. “For people who play instruments but also want to do like indie or pop or rock, then I think EAR is the best … opportunity to do that.”
Joining EAR has introduced lower Alana Reale to new interests. “EAR is new for me because I played in music ensembles before, but it was typically like more classical music. It’s interesting to be able to play with other people and music that I listened to on a daily basis.”
Many EAR members find the club’s welcoming environment as a change in their busy Exeter lives. “I think that practicing with your band isn’t a chore,” lower Zander Chearavanont said. “[It’s] less like a music lesson and more … like a nice time to hang out with your friends and play music.”
Chun agreed with Chearavanont and talked about the relaxing atmosphere of EAR. “My favorite part about being in EAR is you can get together with whoever you want and play [together] pretty much wherever you want as long as you all agree on it.”
Lower Tasmiah Akter enjoyed the atmosphere of the new coffeehouse. “It was just really nice to be there, and just gather with people and drink cider and eat donuts,” she said. “It was actually inspiring. I’m learning to play bass, so seeing Allison up there, playing her electric guitar, made me want to practice more and become better at my instrument.”
Liu further commented on his own experiences in planning for the concert. “This has been a month into making,” he explained. “People have time to put things together and we had some food. I hope people enjoyed the whole atmosphere of it.”
In closing remarks, he finished with his hopes for the future. “I just hope that people come out to more EAR stuff. It’s a really low pressure thing. You know, there’s no judgment involved,” he concluded. “If you like music, [performing with EAR] is a way you can enjoy it without having a lot of stress.”