On Thursday March 28th, The Recital hosted an Easter open mic night. 

Words By Ciara Carolan / Graphic by Lily Greco

At 7:45 pm on Thursday March 28th, Syracuse’s beloved and intimate venue was filled with ambient lighting and Easter eggs in preparation for their Easter open mic night. Students, with guitars in hand, rushed to sign up to perform at The Recital.

At around 8:30, after the audience mingled and indulged in the Easter themed menu featuring fruity drinks and croissants, Bandier students Maria Nido and Corey Chun called everyone in to sit on their living room floor in preparation for the performers that would soon take the stage. They thanked everyone for coming and announced The Recital will be expanding to NYC and Nashville before promptly starting the show. 

The first performance of the night was an original named “Learn to Love” by Peach Thxory, a duo made up of Georgia Herrera and Miles Boone. Herrera delivered beautiful vocals with runs performed with such agility they seemed almost easy. Boone accompanied her on guitar, occasionally adding a vocal harmony to perfectly compliment Herrera.

The second act of the night was Anjali Enstrom, who joked that smaller crowds make her more nervous than larger ones. She performed an original song she named “Old Friend” while accompanying herself beautifully on guitar. The song consisted of incredibly vulnerable storytelling, with lyrics like “I’m not happy to see you, I’m just happy to stay in the same place.” Enstrom then decided she would perform her rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve,” which struck a perfect mix of familiarity and uniqueness.

Connor English and Callan Foster took the stage next in an acoustic performance of two songs they had written together. The first, titled “If It Were A Movie,” was an upbeat pop-rock tune that got the room energized. The second, “Climate Change,” was more laid back and melancholic. English delivered impressive runs and beautiful falsetto notes, with Callan demonstrating his guitar skills and occasionally adding background vocals.

James Dawson (who you may know from Mimicking Mars) was setting up to perform when an audience member exclaimed, “James I’m your biggest fan,” to which he replied, “thank you, I’m your biggest fan.” Accompanying himself on guitar, he performed a Led Zeppelin-esque original song he titled “Burn.” 

The next act was Sam Turin who, in true open mic fashion, proclaimed he was “just a guy who likes to sing” rather than “a singer.” He performed Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” accompanied by Dawson and Foster. For someone who claims not to be a singer, he did a phenomenal job and had the stage presence of a professional!

From here, the night grew with musicians making their ways back to the stage in new formations for impromptu performances like David Bowie’s “Space Odyssey” performed by Enstrom, Dawson, and Foster. Peach Thxory made their return with some tongue-in-cheek songs written by Boone, and we heard more candid lyrics from English. By the end of the night, the evening had transformed into karaoke, with everyone in the room jamming out to “Hotel California” by the Eagles. There’s nowhere quite like The Recital!