Free coffeehouse concerts: 2 venues
By Lisa Wakeland, Staff Writer
November 9, 2006 | 6:16 p.m.
Coffee shop entertainment is practically synonymous with acoustic guitar performances. This Saturday, Nov. 12 will be no exception as both Donkey Coffee and Espresso and the Baker Student Center host free concerts.
From 9 p.m. to midnight, ACRN is hosting “The Ultimate Free Solo Acoustic Show “ at the Donkey. Performers include Joey Hebdo, Victor Rasgaitis, Pete Nischt and Marc Davis.
“We looked around the local music scene and tried to find the best indie, folk singer/songwriters,” said Brian Ostrander, promotions director at ACRN about Saturday night’s line-up. “Most of them are folk pop with blues,” he added about the performers’ genre.
Rasgaitis, a freshman OU student originally from the Cleveland area, predicts that the concert will be one of the biggest shows this quarter. No stranger to the Athens music scene, Victor has performed almost every weekend of fall quarter. “The music lovers here are incredible,” he said.
Victor describes his music as “feel good modern solo acoustic folk rock,” a label given to him by 91.3 “The Summit,” a radio station based out of Akron, OH.
“My music and performance are really interactive,” said Rasgaitis. “It’s energetic, but with some slow stuff.”
Also playing at the Donkey is Pete Nischt, a student at the University of Akron and friend of Rasgaitis. Victor described Nischt’s music as “modern acoustic style” comparable to John Mayer.
OU senior Joey Hebdo will be closing the show at Donkey Coffee. A veteran on the Athens music scene, Hebdo has performed around campus nearly every week for the past three years as a solo act or with his band Solson. His sound is reggae rock with a folksy twist and a “big Led Zeppelin influence,” he said. “People that like to dance like it,” Hebdo said about his music.
Joey has opened for the Sublime tribute band Badfish and plays every Tuesday for Open Mic Night at the Blue Gator. This Saturday will be his first appearance at the Donkey.
“I put a whole lot of emotion and intensity into it,” said Hebdo about what to expect from his set. He says that when he is playing music he opens up and the audience catches a glimpse of his world.
For Nischt and Rasgaitis, the ACRN show is the first stop on their winter “Ohio College Campus Coffee House Adventure Tour.” Other stops will include Xavier University in Cincinnati, Bowling Green and Akron.
“Everybody should come because it’s free,” said Rasgaitis. “And it’s going to be a blast.”
The ACRN concert at Donkey will not be the only free show in Athens on Saturday night. As part of the Coffeehouse Concert Series at Baker, Flyaway Minion, Adam Remnant and Charlie Hughes will be performing from 9 p.m. to midnight in the Front Room.
“It really is a great alternative to the madness that is Uptown Athens,” said Jim Harris, a volunteer who helped coordinate the Coffeehouse Concert Series for Fall Quarter. “With the right band/line-up, it can really be the place to be.”
Most artists performing at the Coffeehouse Concert Series get paid, but Harris says some people volunteer to play to get exposure on the local music scene.
“This quarter, I feel The Front Room has tried to get more coffee house friendly music – with folk, rock, alt-country and pop,” said Harris. “It seems to have veered away from the punk and heavy metal that peppered the schedule in years past. The emphasis for them is more on the songwriting and using the voice as an instrument,” said Harris about the performers.
One performer, Adam Remnant, the lead singer of Southeast Engine, will bring his indie, folk, alt-country sound to the Baker stage.
According to Harris, Remnant is an amazing songwriter with a great voice. “He gets compared to Jeff Tweedy quite a bit,” he said.
As lead singer of Now Hiring Dancers, Charlie Hughes was a mainstay in the Athens music scene during his years at Ohio University, said Harris.
Harris also remembers seeing Flyaway Minion opening for Southeast Engine at the Union a few months ago.
“I liked them,” said Harris. “I thought they would fit in at The Front Room and college kids would dig ‘em.”
“The Front Room is a great place to discover new, and damn good music,” said Harris. “The music is free, there is free soda and there is usually ample seating.”
The Coffeehouse Concert Series is free with student I.D.