Open Mic Night

In this issue of Sound Off, we get to be a fly on the wall for Open Mic Night, held at The Rig, a meeting place in Camden for teens in 9th-12th grade "that provides opportunity for our local area youth to develop connection - with themselves, with one another and with the community."

The coolest thing about this spot is that on a Friday night, kids from all different social stratas hung out in one place with a little bit of that Breakfast Club vibe.  Whether they played foosball, or sat quietly creating something or reading or conversed in small circles, whenever anyone got up on The Rig's stage to sing or perform, everyone in the room supported the performer, clapping afterwards. Here's a look at some of the scenes that went down that night. 

Meet Peytonious Maximus, a.k.a. Peyton Feener, 17, a student at The Community School. This girl is on fire. She participates in Roller Derby,  she DJs, she volunteers for Project AWARE, and Out As I Want To Be!; she worked on Obama's re-election campaign and she's a musician/ singer.

See more of Peyton in Pen Bay Pilot's "Hail To The Rad Kids" column.

 A wall of inspirational (or random) expressions graces The Rig's hallway.

This is one of Peyton's expressions.

 This is Peyton's friend above, "Tuesday McQuatters" and fellow band musician, who prefers to only have her hand photographed. She plays bass, guitar and ukelele. "I'm a freshman, but I'm wise beyond my years," she laughed. Asked if they would play, she said, "I guess we're just chilling tonight."  "We had band practice today, though," said Peyton. "It was pretty beast. We're setting up a demo for a record company."

When playing foosball, things can get heated. Competition is fierce. Pictured: Joe Simmons takes on Alex Henthorn and Jacob Corney of CHRHS. (Courtesy of The Rig Director, Nicole Marie Fuller)

Joe Simmons has been featured in Sound Off before for his original website creations. Here he shows off his latest computer generated logos or isotypes (see below).

The isotypes explained from top to bottom. "The disco guy is just like a 'Warning! Disco sign, and the next two warning signs relate to video games. The isotype on the bottom is like the evolution of a guy who is running, then he's biking , then he's getting a little lazier on his Segway and then sitting with his laptop. It just says to me that with technology, people are getting lazier and lazier and not getting active."
-Joe Simmons

Jalina "Jolly" Brown, 17, was there to not only hang out but also to film the Open Mic Night as a promo for The Rig. 

 "Hopefully we'll get a short two-minute video out of this to get people to donate and get the word out about what The Rig is," she said. Jolly is also an artist and an actor. She auditioned for Project AWARE's public service announcement videos and played the part of a pregnant girl. 

"The PSA was basically about how two seconds can change your life and how you should think about the decisions you make before you make them," she said.

See more of Jolly in Pen Bay Pilot's "Hail To The Rad Kids" column.

 

  
What's so interesting about this song is when Tuesday starts to sing, everyone stops talking and listens. Haunting cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails.

One of the performances was an old Bob Dylan cover by the band below.

Band members Orion Krause, Aidan Gordon, Cooper Krause, Taylor Benner and Caroline Albertson 

Asked what the band's name was, Aidan Gordon said, "Um, we don't really have a name. Call it the Aidan Gordon Experience." Asked if the rest of the band was "on board' with that, he said, "Yes."

Using a DJ behind him to cue up the music, Jacob Corney did a Karaoke song of "All Star" by Smash Mouth

For more photos of the Open Mic Night, check out The Rig's own gallery.

"Open Mic at The Rig is always a hit. It gives kids a chance to express themselves and get positive attention from their peers. It's refreshing to experience so much talent and passion on nights like these. Some students have never been on stage before, and like many other Rig activities, it gives them a safe opportunity to push their comfort zones slightly."
-Nicole Marie Fuller, Director of The Rig 


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