As we reach the halfway point of second semester, MUSE Magazine is mixing things up.
The club held their first coffee house music event of the year, where artists performed acoustic sets catered to a more personal crowd on Feb. 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. The ticketed nature of the event seemed odd for so personal and open a setting as The Tea Room, which saw passersby hoping to enter and see the show turned around for a lack of tickets. However, a strong audience turnout still brought a comfortable atmosphere to the show.
The music began at around 7:30 p.m. with Taylor Stockwell, ArtSci ’26, leading the performances. Stockwell showed a diverse set of originals consisting of songs with influences from folk, pop, and even hip hop, performing an original song where she purposefully raps the lyrics as opposed to singing them. While her performance seemed off in comparison to the rest of her set, her more folk oriented originals provided a good jumping off point for the rest of the night.
Continuing the energy of the night was Arielle Panovka, Eng ’26, a seasoned veteran of the Kingston music scene returning to the stage after a hiatus during her fifth year at Queen’s. Joined by The Clay Pigeons’ singer Mo Kelly, Sci ’26, the duo teamed up for the first two songs of Panovka’s set, collaborating on beautiful vocal harmonies that highlighted both performers talent and range. They covered “lovesong” by Adele in a touching performance that had the crowd in a trance.
Panovka continued her set solo afterwards, consisting mainly of original pieces influenced by artists like Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, and Joan Baez. In a moment of transparency, Panovka was seen emotionally moved after her set, lamenting on the personal nature of her music. “I feel more like a poet than a musician,” Panovka said in an interview with The Journal, discussing how she lets music speak her words.
The guitar trio of Rena Hajjar and Saul Wolkove, both CompSci ’26, and Ira Guruprasad, ArtSci ‘26, performed next in what was their first live event as a fully-fledged act. Describing themselves as an “indie folk guitar trio” in an interview with The Journal, the group reflected on their journey to the stage, and what it was like performing to a crowd. “Music has always been an on the side thing for me, it’ll be nice to put it out there to people,” Wolkove said.
Surprisingly dynamic, each member of the group lent lead vocals to a song, collaborating with harmonies that ranged from beautiful to passable. Though the act faced some technical issues, they continued strong and made a good impression for their first show.
Next on stage was Keye Sun, Sci ’27, performing a stripped-down solo set. Sun, a member of the band Sleep on the Couch, spoke with The Journal before the show about this individual medium compared to that of an ensemble.
“Music is more enjoyable with other people, but at the same time I find when I write music it’s hard to translate what I write to a band,” Sun said. She showed off her individual talent by performing some of her own original work, highlighting her ability not only as a frontperson but also as a songwriter.
As the night wound down Lee Sadja, ArtSci ’26, took the stage at around 8:30 p.m. to close out the night’s performers. With beautiful and clear tones, Sadja brought the energy back with his electric guitar in what was an entirely acoustic set. He ended his time with a cover of the John Denver classic, “Take me Home, Country Roads,” which had the entire crowd on their feet and singing along, a rather energetic ending to such a personal and individually-focused night.
Despite their usual ventures into promoting band shows performed at bars, MUSE was able to put together a relaxing and warm environment for these artists to show their skill and prowess to a more selective audience. A very fitting end to the semester’s first half.
Tags
acoustic, Live Music, MUSE, MUSE Magazine, Music, The Tea Room
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