By Kendra Dean|
This past Friday January 10th, Morgan students gathered up at Malone’s Sandwich and Coffeehouse in downtown Clinton to listen to their talented friends perform. It was a rainy day, but inside Malone’s, the environment was warm and welcoming. There was an awkward silence at first. Everyone was nervous to perform, but then Bobby Pace and Mark Zumpano gathered up their courage and took the stage ( a.k.a the front of the room ). After that, everyone’s nerves subsided, and the rest of the night was very cheerful.
When I asked PaulMichael Mullaly how they recruit people to perform, he said, ” We don’t; they volunteer.” It’s good to know that the students here at Morgan are confident enough to stand up and perform in front of their fellow friends. I also asked PaulMichael how and who got open-mic started. He told me that Casey Marsh put it together three years ago! Last year’s coffeehouse was a success: “The 2012 Fall Coffeehouse”. PaulMichael just had to meet with the owner of Malone’s and set it up with them! We thank Casey Marsh for starting this wonderful event.
There were some returning Morgan students, such as Lucas Edwards, Lenny Paul, Miranda Richard, and Mike Iavarone III. It was also, Mike’s first time performing in front of an audience. He sang and also played the guitar!
Lucas Edwards also invited PJ Tautkus, a former resident of Clinton who attended Vinal Tech and a current student at Berklee. He played the guitar and sang, doing a fantastic job. PJ is said to be a “Hidden Treasure and a Musical Prodigy“.
Mark Zumpano, Bobby Pace, Justin Escobales, Ryan Arpin, Danielle Nobitz, PJ Tautkus, Lucas Edwards, Miranda Richard, Paige Pelligrino, and Mike Iavarone III all performed. Their performances were amazing.
One of my favorite performances was when Paige Pelligrino and Danielle Nobitz did a duet, with Paige singing and playing the piano and Danielle singing. They sung “Say Something”. If you want to hear a little bit of the performance check out Liz Bradley’s instagram or Paige Pelligrino’s instagram!
The audience at Malone’s on Friday, January 10th all left with a smile on their face. Watching their talented friends perform in a very comfortable environment with delicious food nearby was a great way to spend their Friday night all while helping raise money for the Class of 2014. Thank you PaulMichael Mullay and Liz Bradley for putting this together. Thank you Malone’s for letting us use your shop to perform. And last but not least, thank you to everyone who performed Friday. You guys have talent!