Friday December 16th brought a night of festive performances during the Fine Lines’ Winter Coffeehouse, from comedic parodies to somber covers and original songs. The event was one of several annual fundraisers hosted by the Fine Lines magazine. The coffeehouse featured performers on a sign-up basis, and displayed RM’s diverse talents in a supportive and laid-back atmosphere.
The first performance of the evening featured junior Sara Reilly on piano covering Sia’s “The Greatest.” Stripped-down pop ballads were a popular choice, as senior Bethel Afful played the ukulele and sang alongside fellow senior Alex Haddad in their performance of of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” by Shawn Mendes. Later in the night, junior Cameron Dulany took to the piano for her unique take on The Neighborhood’s “Sweater Weather.”
The emcees’ festive puns and pick-up lines in between performances punctuated the theme of the night, as several performers took on holiday classics. Seniors Nick Hopwood and Taylor Balfour covered “Winter Wonderland.” A few performances later, Elena Yeatts-Lonske sang the holiday tune with Keira DiGaetano on the ukulele.
Comedic performances included Afful’s rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is Sleep,” her own parody of the classic “All I Want for Christmas is You.” The ukulele version chronicled the struggles of never-ending homework and the countless demands that come with being a student.
“We all had a good laugh at that and it was really relatable,” sophomore and performer Maureen Zeufack commented. Junior Layali Al-Jirafi added that “if you think you are the only one that goes through hardships, there are others that are going through those hardships but are making the best of it.”
Senior Isabel Knudson took the stage to win the audience over with her three short songs — all Phoebe Buffay classics from the sitcom Friends, the most notable being “Smelly Cat.” “The songs are hilarious,” Zeufack remarked. “She sang them in a fun way and we all had a good time singing along.”
Recent RM Idol winner Gaby Phillips riveted the audience with her acoustic rendition of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” “She sounded amazing,” sophomore and audience member Britney Erickson said. “And she’s really good at guitar.”
The night balanced holiday cheer and soulful performances, such as Phillips’ and Al-Jirafi’s take on the Elvis Presley classic, “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.” “Layali did amazing as per usual,” Erickson said. “She blew me away.”
The crowd made a point of supporting and encouraging every performer, especially those who were new to the stage. “We love cheering on new performers. It helps loosen them up,” Al-Jirafi said. “The crowd is very supportive and understanding because everyone there has been there and done that many times. It is a great way to express yourself and great if you have a fear of crowds.”
This support was best showcased during Zeufack’s performance of Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team,” during which audience members waved their phone flashlights to the somber melody. “I thought it was really sweet when people held up their phone flashlights during my song. It was really cool and even eased me a bit,” Zeufack said. “I had people come up to me after and say really nice things. One girl I didn’t even know hugged me and said that she put me on her snapchat story because I sounded so good,” she added.
Senior Nick Hopwood, a seasoned Coffeehouse performer, stopped and restarted a Christmas carol on the piano several times to encouraging whoops and cheers from the audience. “Honestly the Coffeehouse environment is amazing. It’s a very intimate setting and a pretty solid group of people. Everyone is so supportive of each other regardless of what happens,” Zeufack said. Al-Jirafi continued, “It’s like a test run. No one will say anything bad because it’s like friends get together more than just to compare who was better.”
The night ended with sophomore Dani Brigatti performing an original song on guitar. “It sounded great and her guitar playing was cool too,” Zeufack commented.
The enjoyable evening displayed a myriad of RM’s talented performers and welcomed the holiday season. Although it may be several months before another Coffeehouse event, students can support Fine Lines by attending their weekly meetings or purchasing their magazine at the end of the school year, which features a variety of RM students’ creative works.
