This past Friday, the Campus Grind was full of music and caffeine as students gathered for this semester's "Coffee Talk," a biannual event sponsored by Inter-Residence Council in cooperation with Late Knight.
Attendees packed the venue, eager for company, a stellar line-up of campus-based acts, prize giveaways and, of course, free coffee.
Energy was high as the first act, junior Jordan Berger, took the stage. Berger performed a solid set of acoustic covers, taken from a variety of classic and contemporary rock. It was, however, difficult to hear him over the crowd's chatter. While this was a problem throughout the evening, it was particularly marked during this early act, as the audience was distracted by the excitement of the event's beginning.
Following Berger was No Laugh Track Required, a campus improvisational comedy troupe who specializes in various games a la Whose Line Is it Anyway? Their upbeat approach and emphasis on audience participation captured everyone's attention immediately, beginning with an Irish drinking song and moving through such games as "No You Didn't" and "Press Conference."
The Grind's corner stage got a break at this point, as most of the attending students moved out to the Union Lobby to watch the impressive skill of Geneseo Throws Up, the resident juggling club. Of particular interest was senior Tim Ellis's routine with the diabolo, a unique juggling prop resembling a giant yo-yo, his specialty.
Next, the action returned to the Grind with slam poetry performed by junior Dan Freund. Freund's delivery was incredible, easily capturing the focus of everyone present. The poems were aggressive and rhythmic, offering a fierce commentary on a number of contemporary issues ranging from the Iraq war to modern religion.
The ever-popular a cappella group N.A.R.D. took the stage next, and was enthusiastically received. Consisting of seniors Nick Moran, Alex MacDonald, Rob Line and Dave Gordon, this barbershop quartet gave yet another incredible performance in their signature style. There was some lack of energy in their song selection, however, and one was left wishing their entire set had been as upbeat as their rendition of a medley from Disney's The Jungle Book.
"Coffee Talk" concluded with another slam poetry performance, this one from WGSU's radio show, "The Thirsty Shrew." Their ability to create legitimate poetry out of absurd topics notwithstanding, this rounded out the evening nicely, finishing off a wonderful evening of fun and entertainment.