CAB Kicks-Off Coffeehouse Series and Introduces Mug Club
Abe Parker performed at the Junction for the first Coffeehouse Series event of the semester (Photo Mary Frasier/The Gettysburgian).
By Lizzie Hobbs, Contributing Writer
Nestled between Commons and the Bullet Hole, the newly renovated space known as the Junction has been furnished with comfortable chairs and tables, outlets galore, and a brand new stage for live performances.
On Thursday, September 6, the stage was broken-in by singer-songwriter Abe Parker, as part of the Campus Activity Board’s new Coffeehouse Series.
Parker described his style as a “John Mayer/Ed Sheeran vibe,” which added a cozy, coffee shop-esque feeling to the Junction. His music provided a playlist of sorts for students studying in the Junction that evening, opening with an original love song titled “Dance With Me.”
After his performance of such an upbeat and romantic song, he quickly transitioned into another original song, “Happy Ever After Fail,” which he explained was his answer to the music industry producing, “no good songs for single people.”
As Parker continued to play, more Gettysburg students filed into the space, with applause coming even from students in Bullet after the end of each song.
The CAB-sponsored Coffeehouse Series is in collaboration with the Mug Club, a new opportunity for students on campus. Mugs that have been handmade by a local ceramic artist will go on sale during the first week of October, and for $30 each, members of the Mug Club will receive a handmade mug, $0.75 off all drinks at the Commons, and a free specialty drink created for each Coffeehouse Series performance.
After CAB introduced the newly-created Mug Club during a brief intermission, Abe Parker returned once more to the stage for the second half of his performance. He opened with an original song called “Maggie McGee,” in which he described what his life would be like if he was a girl, concluding that, “My name would be Maggie McGee, and I’d work at a pizza shop.”
Parker then launched into a string of acoustic covers, including Nat King Cole’s “LOVE” and “Blackbird” by the Beatles, followed by an original song, “Cali,” which he wrote about his friendship with a homeless man whom he helped begin the process of rehabilitation. The man, named Cali, got in touch with Parker a year ago to let him know that his life had turned around for the better and that he is now serving as a youth pastor.
Parker ended his set with a cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” which was greeted by applause, and said goodnight to the audience.
Esmeralda Orndorff ‘22, said she “really enjoyed the performance” and would “definitely come to another,” also noting that it introduced her to a “new place to study” that she otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
Her tablemates, Grace Gallagher ‘22 and Haley Bechtel ‘22, shared similar sentiments, with Gallagher adding that the performance was a “nice break” from a hectic first couple weeks of classes.
