Western student and comedian Ryan Budds cracks up the crowd.

Western students shine at Open Mic Night

By: Rob Amaefule

Posted: 10/12/07

The billiards room inside the Western Illinois University Union was brimming with unique talent during Wednesday's Open Mic Night presented by the University Union Board Coffeehouse Committee. There were plenty of students who put their abilities to the test in front of a bulky but respectful audience that was craving a fun-filled night.

The talent on display was diverse, ranging from comedians to poets and musicians, keeping the audience on its toes the whole night. One comedian who stood out from the pack was the first performer of the event. Ryan Budds, senior English major, didn't let opening-show jitters get to him. Looking very comfortable while delivering his jokes, he instantly had the room filled with laughter as he poked fun at the unattractive restrooms at the Change of Pace and elaborated on a recent trip to Wal-Mart in search of cheap condoms.

"I thought it went really well for randomly starting off first tonight," Budds said after his performance. "It was kind of awkward knowing that comedians aren't really usual at Open Mic Night, but I felt it was a good set."

Unfortunately, the only other comedian who performed at the show couldn't generate the same results from the crowd. Broadcasting major Matt Gierloff stood out as the weakest link of the night, failing to land any humor to just about all of his jokes.

"He had some good content in his jokes, but he just wasn't funny," said junior pre-business conditional management sciences major Earvin-Devon Smith. "It was bad, really bad."

On a brighter note, just about all of the poets in attendance were phenomenal. Several of them had a lot of creativity and intellect flowing from their poems. Two students who represented that were junior political science major Kevin Smith, aka 3 a.m., and senior philosophy major Ignatius Mwela. Smith's poem dealt with the ongoing issues of racism while Mwela's poem talked about the life of a specimen. Smith said the decision to write his poem came over the summer when he saw a man with a racially explicit shirt walk into his job.

"Once I saw that shirt, it hit me that racism still exists in this world. I felt like writing about it," Smith said.

Mwela, who is also known as Mythical Mind, is a member of the artistic Cultural Expressions group at Western. The poem he recited was "Relay for Life." He said the positive aspects of life during times of tribulation inspired him to create the poem.

The musicians weren't too shabby, either. Many received standing ovations from the revved-up audience. Nobody received more love from the audience than the duet Unique Soul and Cool Breeze. After their performance, many of the attendants at the back were chanting their name.

"They were amazing, simply the best singers here by far," said senior Carl Thompson.

Sophomore music major Langston Parker (Unique Soul) and senior graphic communication major Lee McMiller (Cool Breeze) said they first collaborated at their church's choir practice when McMiller asked Hughes to join his R&B group.

"After I accepted his offer, we just met up that day and just kept singing together ever since," Parker said.

The lengthy event lasted three hours, going from about 7:30 until 10:30 p.m. Throughout the show, 20 people came up on stage and performed. Overall, it was a great display of talent, which made it time well spent. Be on the lookout for the next available Open Mic Night coming soon.