This was the first show held at the LaB, which is the University’s attempt to manufacture a trendy coffee shop. It is a fairly bizarre place in that it has all the accoutrements of a café — tacky old coffee making equipment, dark wood, stools — but you have to swipe your J-Card to get in. Not entirely sure how long it has been there or whose idea it was to build it but there it is. Additionally, I am sad to report that it does not sell alcohol.
Regardless of its questionable purpose and equally questionable location — Homewood is basically in another state — the LaB does provide a show-space for WJHU.
This is a good thing because the radio station is a musically adventurous outfit that do their part to champion local artists. Such a mission is an honorable one given that music culture on campus is perhaps not as robust as it could be. The fact that Nickelback is played at the gym is a pretty good measure of that want.
The crowd at the LaB was a varied one and some 20 or 30 people fit into a relatively small space in scatter-cushioned comfort. Nina Gala was the first on the stage and by the time she was ready to perform, the warmth of the tequila I drank before leaving my apartment had begun to spread like gangrene through my torso. It was an almost beautiful experience.
This comforting poison put me in the right state of mind to listen to some soothing music.
Nina is a Baltimore singer and guitarist who bills herself as “an experimental folk singer,” which is an accurate description. Her music, most of which was from her recently released EP gala., was simple but textured, her lyrics more metaphorical than the average folk singer’s. Gala’s simple guitar accented the slight waver in her voice well, combining to form that controlled emotion which makes folk music good. Also, her fashion sense was impeccable.
As Gala wrapped up her set, a priest showed up. This is not particularly relevant to anything regarding the concert but it seemed like something worth sharing. It also led me to reflect on my sinful existence and consider how far I have fallen from the grace of God — for all of thirty seconds.
Thankfully, before I was forced into even more introspection, Andy Villanueva took the stage. Much like the first act, Villanueva was largely accompanied only by his own guitar. However, for his first song, he recruited two audience members to harmonize. That was a refreshing Beach Boys style twist, although the Beach Boys were not a folk band and that was a horrible comparison.
Andy then picked up his guitar and launched into some folk ballads. His voice, like Gala’s, had that subtle emotional tinge that is vital to good folk music.
Villanueva’s set soon took a sharp turn down memory lane, though. He called David Shi, WJHU’s studio manager and financial director, onto the stage to join him in a cover of “Creep” by Radiohead. The two shared a mutual love for the band and it seems likely that everyone has a fond memory of listening to that song and weeping over their high school crush–although that may have been an overshare.
Once Shi took the stage, things changed very quickly. Thom Yorke does not put nearly as much passion into singing his own song as Shi did. It was an intense moment that sparked a flurry of photography and recording comparable to Lindsay Lohan leaving a club in the early 2010s. The peace of that weird faux-coffee shop was utterly shattered, but it was ever so worth it.
Even after Shi returned triumphantly to the audience, Andy stayed true to the ‘90s theme. His next song was another cover, and this time it was Weezer. Specifically, “Say It Ain’t So,” which is a tremendous song with an extremely underwhelming backstory. Villanueva then finished his set and left the stage to healthy applause, after which his one-time bandmate told the audience that WJHU planned on hosting more shows at the LaB.
That is good news. The list of things to do on this campus during the weekend is as short as it is depressing.
You can either get drunk in your dorm room, apartment or house, get drunk in a dirty frat basement, get drunk at PJ’s or watch Netflix. If WJHU really does plan on organizing more concerts, it should be at a venue that is within walking distance of every dorm, even Homewood, on and near campus. Finally, beleaguered Hopkins students can escape the public embarrassment of falling asleep drunk on a couch in a frat house–again (probably an over-share) and can walk to a nice, intimate show instead.
Based on Friday’s concert, there is reason to be optimistic about the future. These were two really good acts, one of whom was a student. These concerts at the LaB could be a great way to expand the music culture on campus. Hopefully it can offer a place for student-musicians to express themselves and for local artists to grow their fan-base. While the LaB itself might be another one of the University’s painful attempts to fake compassion for its undergraduates, it is a pretty good venue to see some music.
Even if you do not know the artists, even if you do not necessarily like the genre of music, it would be worth checking out a concert at the LaB. You can only spend so much of your life listening to the top 10 most popular rap songs in the sweaty darkness of a party for so long.
