Musician Preston Pugmire brought the Coffeehouse down on Jan. 20.
Program Board hired Pugmire to host and perform at the semester kickoff, which was held in the Rotunda.
“The vast majority of the time, (colleges) will bring me in and I’m the only person playing for the evening; it’s a dedicated evening for music and people will just watch my show and have a 75-minute show,” Pugmire said. “But tonight I was able to be part of this entire event.”
Pugmire uses guitar pedals to create layers, allowing him to record what he does live and play it back.
Pugmire played three songs to kick the event off. In his last song, a cover of Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” he had audience members clap along.
“I loved (Pugmire’s) performance,” creative writing sophomore Kaylee Davis said. “He had a really nice relaxing voice and had the whole audience involved in the performance, like by encouraging us to clap our hands.”
Four student performers and one band hit the stage after Pugmire’s introduction, playing everything from Alphaville’s “Forever Young” to heavy metal hits by Lordi.
Nursing freshman Emily Rose, who has performed at Coffeehouse before, said she liked the variety at Tuesday’s event.
“I like hearing different genres of music and hearing peoples’ originals so I can get inspiration for my own,” Rose said.
Davis said she came to the event to listen to the music.
“My favorite part was the band that played,” Davis said. “They were very eclectic and loud, which I like.”
Davis also liked the location of the event.
“I liked (this Coffeehouse event) better than usual because of the Rotunda location,” Davis said. “It felt more relaxed and open.”
Rose agreed.
“People walk through (the Rotunda) a lot, so I think more people come when it’s here and not in the TSAR,” Rose said.
The student performers played three or four songs each, which Pugmire said made this event different from any other he’d hosted.
“I love that there was a lot of talented kids,” Pugmire said. “Sometimes I’ll perform at different universities and I’ll host open mics and people don’t have a lot of material. Everybody here played for about 15 minutes, and I love that they had enough material for that. It was a fun event to be a part of.”
The next Coffeehouse will take place in the TSAR at 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26.