SLC to kick off Night at the Commons with headliner Ladies Choice
Joseph Sullivan, a student musician, at a past Night of the Commons.
Photo Courtesy of Student Leadership Council
The Student Leadership Council and Inman Coffee are bringing live music and a coffee shop atmosphere to Lee with the semester’s first installment of Night at the Commons.
This free event will feature two local bands, coffee, desserts and a relaxing environment for students to enjoy.
Senior SLC member and event organizer Kat Lawrence said she hoped the event would be refreshing and gearing the community towards a fun weekend.
“Night at the Commons is a really chill place to relax after a long week, support local bands and get some free food and coffee,” Lawrence said. “It’s a great place to come and get connected with the arts community at Lee.”
Night at the Commons planners said they are primarily focused on creating an enjoyable environment for students, but the event often supports other causes as well. Junior SLC member and education major Amy Satink explained, while the event and concessions are free, SLC will often sell T-shirts or hats to support organizations such as Great Strides, a cystic fibrosis foundation.
The Preliminaries, a soft folk duo, will set the stage for this first event’s spotlight band Ladies Choice. Made up of seven students, Ladies Choice will have their debut—and perhaps only performance—at the event, covering artists such as John Mayer, Coin, Paramore and Taylor Swift.
Junior communications major and Ladies Choice lead singer Rachel Durham hopes that the group will influence other talented students to perform together, even if only for one night.
“There are so many talented musicians at Lee, and it breaks my heart that more people don’t get together and sing songs,” Durham said.
The temporary band, named after a song from the Broadway musical “Hairspray,” is a one-time effort dedicated to bringing people together to share and enjoy music, according to Durham.
Durham said the band is especially interested in encouraging women to get involved in the creation and enjoyment of music.
“I want to empower everyone to have equal opportunity. It’s hard because I see a lot of guys come together so easily to do music,” Durham said. “It’s easy and it’s fun for guys, and I don’t see women coming together and doing it for fun. That’s what we want it to be about…and we even let the guys play with us too.”
The first Night at the Commons will take place at the Mayfield Annex Common Rooms at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5th. The event is free and will take place monthly.
