The final cabin concert of the semester was hosted at 6 p.m. last Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Davies Center. The event was the first and only open-mic this semester, hosted by the local band, Sad House Guest.

All the chairs in the coffee shop were filled with audience members and performers alike, requiring others to stand. The cabin had a large audience and there were six groups and individuals who signed up for the open mic, in addition to Sad House Guest.

Each performer was given an average time of ten minutes to perform two songs.

Hayden Forbes, a third-year recording art and communication student from Richland Center, was the first to perform. 

Forbes explained that his opening song, “Banger” was written by a friend as a way to parody club musicians and the culture surrounding the creation of music in this genre.

“I base my music in hip-hop, but I love doing different styles,” Forbes said. His music ranged from many different genres of rap; he performed club, rhythm and blues and soul-influenced music.

Forbes is currently collaborating with a group called Division Street.

The next artist to perform was second-year biology student Michaela Schulz, who performed an original song titled “Women in STEM.” She explained that the song was an expression of her frustration after having a bad experience with a sexist lab partner.

Next was a newly created student band, Common Opinion, that sang two original songs. The band consists of Noah Woodruff, Owen Templeton, Lukas Dopert and Ian Theissen. This was Common Opion’s first performance together as a whole band. 

Having played earlier at GeekCON, a singer-songwriter from Menomine known on stage only as Cap’n Seabeard also performed at the open mic. 

Cap’n Seabeard said at the open mic that the origin of his stage name is an interesting story, but that it is too embarrassing to say in front of a crowd. He described his music as alt-country, folk and bluegrass.

After the open mic section, Sad House Guest performed for around an hour. The band describes its genre as “mid-west brew-pop.” 

“My brother, who is our drummer normally, coined this genre term,” Samuel Stein, the lead guitarist, and UW-Eau Claire alumni, said, “It’s the indie rock that you would hear in breweries and dive bars across the midwest.”

Stein joked about hiring himself for his cabin performances as before graduation, he worked for The Cabin and booked artists to perform.

As the night was closing out and Sad House Guest was wrapping up, in the background sleigh bells began to play, which became a surprise rendition of “Jingle Bells” played by the band. After a verse, however, they began playing one final song, Electric Veins.

Ben Ostertag, a fourth-year marketing student and member of the University Activities Commission, announced that the Cabin will be offering three open mic events at the cabin next semester.

Future events will be announced through the UAC’s Facebook page and the Cabin’s webpage.

Heffernan can be reached at [email protected]