Wet fall leaves littered the floor as students entered the room. Christmas lights twinkled across a raised stage and melodic acoustic guitar songs rang through the relaxed crowd.
Students escaped the cold, wet weather at the first ever Fall Acoustics show in The Hub Thursday evening. Hosted by the School of the Arts (SOTA), the event displayed a variety of mellow acoustic, vocal and even keyboard-based sets that helped students take their minds off of troubling times and provided a great foundation for future live-music performances in The Hub.
Attendees were sprawled across folding chairs, couches and armchairs—some people even stood at the back of the dimly-lit room. Considering it was closed to the general public, the show had a sizeable student turnout.
The show featured covered songs from artists like Amy Winehouse, Van Morrison, Beyoncé and many more. Performers included Lenon Padilla, Mikey Phillips, Dallas Cholly and Carlos Pioroda—who goes by “Caloy”.
“We think this is a really good way for people to just find a safe space and kind of relax after all the chaos that’s been happening lately,” said Moriah Lowe, SOTA organizer and Chico State senior.
Students definitely looked calm, enjoying the company of their peers while quietly moving throughout the venue, sipping hot chocolate and munching on cookies, doughnuts, trail mix and more.
In addition to free entry, guests also enjoyed the selection of free snacks and hot drinks available in the back of the room.
Lowe also explained that The Hub has featured little to no live music in the past. And, to her knowledge, this is the first time SOTA and The Hub have ever collaborated on an event like this.
“I think it’s a really good way for The Hub to kind of get more opportunities for music to be here,” Lowe said.
The show proved that The Hub could likely handle more live music events going forward.
Students who would like to get involved in events like this can contact SOTA in-person or via email. All contact information is displayed on its Facebook page.
Grant Schmieding can be reached at [email protected] or @G_Schmieding on Twitter.
