Open Mic Night entertains families


Madison Mathews
Reporter

February 17, 2006

The snow didn’t keep people from coming out to Open Mic Night on Saturday in SUB7. Despite the chilly weather, people kept showing up throughout the night.

According to SUB7 manager senior Gina Jury, “around 80-90 people showed up.”

The lineup for the night included freshmen Stephen Morse and Chris Wells, junior Ryan Arnold and seniors Theo McFarlane and Ned Greene.

Morse was the first one to take the stage rapping an original song called, “The Missionary Rap,” based on a verse from Matthew 10. He got the crowd to wave their hands in the air and challenged them to “get out and show the masses His love is sweeter than a pound of molasses.”

Arnold followed Morse with three covers: “Demon” by Guster, “Cannonball” by Damien Rice and “Spades and Chains” by Braddigan.

Greene sang two original songs: “Rise Up” and “Failing Strength.” Senior Leslie Johnson took the stage and sang a duet with him on “For My Love” by Bethany Dillon.

Wells, also known as C-Dub, got the crowd singing and clapping throughout his set. He sang “My Savior, My God” by Aaron Shust, “Slide” by the Goo Goo Dolls and “Crazy for This Girl” by Evan and Jaron, at which point freshman Brett Darnall joined him on stage for a duet. Based on the positive feedback from the audience, the song was a hit.

McFarlane was the last of the scheduled lineup to take the stage. He sang a few of his original songs, including “Dangerous.” During his last song, McFarlane threw in the chorus from Kanye West’s “Gold-digger.”

After the scheduled lineup finished playing, former Milligan student Alex King took to the stage. Someone in the audience shouted “The Return of the King!” as King began to play a few covers. He really got the crowd screaming and clapping by playing a little Johnny Cash, which he followed with a song from Third Day.

Open Mic Night ended with Renee Pett, a visitor from Rutherford, N.C., who played and sang an original song.

During the night, the Postcard Art Show and Sale was going on across the hall in the Fireside Lounge. It was sponsored by Milligan students and the proceeds went towards the Johnson City Area Arts Council Art Corps Initiative. Almost half of the postcards were sold to students and family during the night. Senior Hannah Bader said, “We’re probably going to try selling the rest at some point, maybe in the cafeteria or something.”

Asked about her favorite part of the night, sophomore Maggie Blankenship said, “This is tough. Drinking an Oreo shake while listening to great music.”

Senior Stephanie Dalton said she made the trek to Open Mic Night through the snow because it “is her favorite Sub 7 event.” She said, “As a senior, I have always enjoyed the Open Mic nights and look forward to looking back at these memories.”