The weekly Acoustic Café brings a relaxing environment and entertainment to students.
As the echoing sound of the acoustic guitar rings through Baker Center, curious people passing by peek their heads over the escalator railings to find the source of the sound.
Acoustic Café, hosted by the Campus Involvement Center, takes place every Thursday starting at 12:30 p.m. on the second floor of Baker.
Tables are filled with laptops, textbooks and coffee cups. Some students carry on quiet conversation while others continue flipping through their textbooks as the performer prepares to play.
Anyone who can sing, play an instrument or has any kind of special talent is fitting for the one-hour performance, said Bridget Gibson, a junior studying communication studies and a programmer in the Campus Involvement Center.
“I thought it was a good (reaction),” said Casey Redmond, an alumnus and acoustic singer. “It was a small crowd, but people were listening, applauding, smiling and that sort of thing.”
The change in atmosphere from playing music at houses or playing coffee shops allowed for a different experience, said Peter Vilardi, a local hip-hop artist and singer-songwriter.
Vilardi recently performed at the Acoustic Café and played all original tunes on the piano and guitar. The environment was fitting for a singer-songwriter, he said.
“I am a coffee shop-type myself,” he said. “I am really into like those small intimate environments, but this was interesting because it allows for a great number of people, who didn’t even know there was going to be music, walking by to say, ‘Oh, this is happening. Let me check this out for a second.’ ”
Vilardi wanted to expose his music to an unexpected audience as well as an audience that normally might not be interested in that style of music, he said.
“I had some friends who were walking through that didn’t even know there was a show but ended up staying for a little bit,” Vilardi said.
The tech people in Baker set up a sound system in attempt to reach as far as it can so as many people as possible can hear, Vilardi said he was still satisfied with the sound and happy with the overall setup.
Redmond welcomed the opportunity to play for a younger crowd in a different atmosphere. Despite being a little hesitant at first, he enjoyed the venue and the different people stopping to listen, Redmond said.
He played a mix of originals and covers while also creating some dialogue with the students gathered at the tables set to turn the open space into a café setting.
“It was something different so I liked it,” Redmond said.
In the past, the event has brought in drummers, bands and even a student who plays the piano and sings with a comedic twist, Gibson said.
While the crowd can change depending on the performer, it typically consists of students looking for a place to relax and study, Gibson said.
“I feel like if people hear what is going on, they’ll either stop by and see what’s happening for two minutes of their times or people will stay and watch for a while,” Gibson said.
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