On Friday, May 3, Kingswood Oxford’s KOffeehouse had their final event, marking the end of a very successful year for the club.
KOffeehouse is a club led and organized by sophomore Gordon Beck. The club hosts multiple events over the course of the school year where students can showcase their singing and instrumental abilities. This club didn’t come into fruition on a whim, however. “It was somewhat my mom’s idea,” Gordon began. “I knew I was going to take Rock Band as a class, and so I was thinking about starting a club, something performance-related. She told me this used to be a club, so it would be pretty easy to bring it back.”
The club’s final performance on the first Friday of this month was one to remember. The night began with Gordon’s performance of “Money,” by Pink Floyd. With Gordon’s older brother, Calvin Beck ’19, accompanying on guitar, along with sophomore Alex Gumkowski on bass, it made for a strong opening to the evening.
After Gordon’s six-and-a-half minute-long rendition, sophomore Alexandre Picard lightened the mood with “A Complicated Song,” by Weird Al Yankovich. Weird Al Yankovich is known for creating bogus parodies of famous songs. “A Complicated Song” is about the idea of pizza, while the original, “Complicated,” by Avril Levigne, is about pretending in front of others to fit in. “Alexandre has done a few really funny songs,” Gordon explained. “So, people are laughing throughout if it’s a funny act. It kind of just depends on the performance. If it’s a sad song, it’s maybe a little hush and then if it’s funny, people are laughing.”
A more touching performance followed Alexandre. Sophomore Riley Mapp managed to capture the emotions of the entire audience with his execution of John Legend’s “All of Me,” accompanied by choral director Steve Mitchell on piano.
Some other performers included, but weren’t limited to, sophomore Aarav Mathur, freshman Sarah Balog, and senior Bassil Chugtai. These outstanding performances led up to the grand finale of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” to finish off the night.
In terms of the club’s future, Gordon hopes to keep the club going as long as he can. “Since next year they are going to be renovating the library, we will be performing in the Leadership Center,” Gordon stated. “I hope next year we can do more than just singing, maybe even having people read poetry. Also, if someone has a really cool art piece, I’d put it up behind them as they perform, or even around the room. I want people to show their art.”
This year, Gordon wanted to create a safe space for people to be themselves and show off their talents, and he managed to do just that.
