Levi Stephens showcases musical talent at coffeehouse
Singer/songwriter Levi Stephens brought chill vibes to the Junction. Photo credit levistephens.com
By Kira Goodwin, Staff Writer
This past weekend the Campus Activities Board brought Levi Stephens to campus to perform. The singer/songwriter braved the snow to drive up from D.C. and even changed a tire on his way just to perform for a small crowd in the Junction at the CUB. He was totally thrilled to be there though, particularly because he said he had had such a good time here last year. He said that last year he had had a family member hospitalized and he wasn’t sure he was going to perform, but the energy from the Gettysburg students made him glad that he did. So he came back for a second year in a row.
Stephens had a very mellow, sort of R&B vibe, but he didn’t like to define his music genre, although a guy with a guitar tends to become a genre on its on. It was very peaceful yet fun and he managed to keep the energy high by constantly cracking jokes about how he couldn’t stop drinking Red Bull as he stopped to take swigs between each song and gradually worked his way through two cans.
He had fun telling stories about how his original songs were inspired, even if they were just silly anecdotes such as how one song was inspired by barbeque and how he changed one song name to keep it PG for his churchgoing mother. And he had fun and was totally chill, making up his set along the way. Rather than just do covers on their own he would mash them with various other covers, and he decided what he was going to mash together as he went along. He chose his songs immediately before he played them and he even asked the audience for requests.
Stephens made one guy performing on a stage into a fun show through his humorous interjections. But he also got the audience involved by having them clap along or sing along and just keep the energy high. He recognized that one guy with a guitar is a different kind of show than a sold out stadium and that gave his performance the feeling that he was just hanging out and jamming with his friends, and for his performance that worked well.
Apart from all of the efforts he took to make his show engaging he also just displayed raw talent. Because amidst everything else he displayed incredible skill in both singing and guitar and his original songs were very good. All of that put together went on to make an entertaining and engaging night of music.
