Students arrived at the open mic on Feb 25. right after school ended to help set up seats. While it was quiet at first, the sounds of performers methodically tuning and practicing with their instruments soon broke the silence.
Rows of chairs were lined up and quickly filled by students coming to support their friends who were performing in the show. After 10 minutes had passed following the end of school, about 20 more people had entered the room. Students of varying artistic abilities and skillsets continued to practice before the first performer went on at 3:15 p.m.
Senior Austin Johnson started the show by performing an original song titled “Till The Bank Runs Out Of Money,” on his acoustic guitar. “I find inspiration in a lot of music I listen to, but also life experiences or things I feel,” said Johnson. “Music is an outlet for me, and the Lane open mics have helped me grow a lot as a musician.”
The fact that the open mics are so accessible to Lane students has also been a factor that’s drawn Johnson into performing and attending these events. “It’s a nice low stress environment that’s super accessible and has helped me meet and become closer with a lot of people, and find inspiration in all the cool and unique performances people do there.”
Johnson was introduced by emcee – emcee meaning event organizer – Grey Baum – a senior – who also performed. While this is Baum’s first year being the open mic emcee, she has been a frequent attendee since her freshman year.
Baum performed the song “Back In Town” by Annie Dirusso and used a backing track for the first time while performing. Baum said, “It was a chance to experiment and share my music.”
Baum has attended nearly every open mic since her freshman year at Lane. “I like sharing new things I’ve written, but also the freedom to share whatever I want to play,” said Baum.
While there were many musical acts in the open mic, which are typical of the open mic scene at Lane, sophomore Elodie Labelle performed a comedy set. Elodie’s performance was about her identity and sexuality, even including moments of crowd participation as another unique aspect of her set.
Sean Doyle, a musician and senior at Lane, played his original song called “Mystery Girl,” a song he wrote about 6 months ago from his album “Love Again.” “It’s a song just written about, you know, finding the right person, but in a kind of flirty and fun way,” said Doyle. This album took Doyle 18 months to make and release. The performance of “Mystery Girl” was a preview of the album for the audience, and Doyle said he is looking forward to doing more shows like this one.
While the performers make the show happen, the support of the audience encourages them to keep coming back. Gianni Recchia, a senior at Lane Tech, said he showed up because his friends Ruby Miller and Milo Satelli had asked him to attend. Recchia complimented the duo, “the Asian Brothers” on their guitar skills, saying that during the last open mic “[Satelli went] crazy on guitar.”
Senior Jude Hirsch began attending the open mics his sophomore year. “I think it is interesting that Lane has a space for people to perform, and as a person who loves music but can’t perform, it is a fun space to listen to other people,” said Hirsch on why he chooses to attend the open mics.
Leaving the open mic, Hirsch recalled, “The song performed by Henry Wachob was good — I like when people are able to sing and play an instrument at the same time,” said Hirsch. “Also, Ben Sweeney did a great rendition of a song by Waxahatchee.”
Ultimately, the community of the open mics is one that encourages people to keep coming back. “I have gone [to an open mic] twice now, the first time playing for a friend, I really just enjoy the vibe,” Doyle said. “And I’m thinking of maybe going to the next one or, you know, see how many I can make before graduation.”
