Last Saturday, The Cabin, the coffee shop and lounge attached to the Davies Student Center, singer-songwriter Spencer Douglas and indie rock band Able Baker were featured. The music started at 6 p.m. and continued on until a quarter past eight. 

The first half of the concert was performed by 18-year-old singer-songwriter and Eau Claire native, Spencer Douglas. He performed for an hour and sang various song covers and four original songs of his own creation. 

Douglas said his genre of music is some indie-folk and some indie-pop. He said he takes inspiration from musicians like Bon Iver (who Douglas described as a requirement to listen to for anyone living in Eau Claire), Rex Orange County and Mac DeMarco.

“My parents aren’t super musical. My mom plays a little piano and my dad played tuba in high school, but ever since I was a kid they have been exposing me to music and the arts,” Douglas said. “They would always be playing music in the house, and when I was young they took me to the Chippewa Valley Symphony, which has kind of become a tradition of ours.”

Douglas is currently going to school at the University of Saint Thomas, where he is studying music and business entrepreneurship. He said he hopes to become a musician in a band, or the host of his own music venue similar to The Cabin. 

“Growing up in Eau Claire and having really supportive parents has helped me keep music in my life,” Douglas said, when talking about what influenced him to be a singer-songwriter.

Around 7 p.m., the band Able Baker began to warm up. Able Baker is an indie rock band based in Madison, Wisconsin. Tim Anderson, the band founder, went to UW-Eau Claire during his first year of college, according to Anderson. 

The other members of the band include Ilyich Meza, who played the guitar, Luis Acosta Jr., who played the drums and Cameron Costanzo, the bass player.

“I like a lot of music; I like a lot of genres,” Anderson said, ”If you had to put a label on it, our music is influenced by 90s indie rock bands, post rock and ambient music. Mostly just singer-songwriting and just good songs — we are influenced by good songs.”

 Able Baker performed original songs written and sung by Anderson, some of which were written during classes or in a dorm at UW-Eau Claire. This included the second to last song of the night, which was described by Anderson as “a sentimental song written in Towers North.”

Douglas’ and Able Baker’s music can be listened to on various streaming services.

For more information on The Cabin, including future featured artists, check out the UWEC webpage on The Cabin. This upcoming Friday there will be an open-mic hosted by the band Uncommon Denominator.

Heffernan can be reached at [email protected].