By Jenessa Farnsworth
More than 100 students filled the Traditions Lounge in the Wilkinson Center on Wednesday night, Feb.1, 2006, amid the sounds of guitars, pianos and singing voices, as BYU held its monthly Acoustic Explosion, which invited students to show off their musical talent.
According to Jordan Faux, a member of the Student Activities Board, the Acoustic Explosion has taken place monthly for the last two years. He said the Student Activities Board thought it would be a good idea to have a small, intimate atmosphere for an acoustic guitar show.
“There”s a lot of people that like to play, and a lot of people that like to listen,” Faux said.
The event usually hosts six singers or groups each night, and each performer is allowed to perform three songs. The music varies in genre, but is usually made up of songs the performers have composed themselves.
The performance drew students of all ages, from freshmen to seniors.
Two of the performers were Eric Olavson, a senior majoring in English from San Carlos, Calif., and Curtis Smith, a sophomore majoring in music from Brawley, Calif. Together, they performed three songs called “Shiver My Toe,” “Utopia” and “Shipwreck.” According to Smith, the two have been playing together for almost a year.
Smith said he and Olavson like to perform something different from stereotypical acoustic music.
“Our goal is to not sing whiny songs about our girlfriends leaving us,” he said.
Smith added that all of their songs were original compositions, and that he and Olavson play in a band. Since the band can”t play together at Acoustic Explosion, Smith said, he and Olavson just perform together.
“I like doing it,” Smith said. “It”s good practice for a performance, and it”s lots of fun.”
Among the other performances was the group “Athena,” made up of freshmen Lisa Stoffer, Allie Winegar and Megan Reeves. The group, which will also be performing Feb. 22 at noon in the WSC, performed two songs called “Salt and Sugar” and “Where Do We Go From Here?” Between those songs, Stoffer performed a Valentine”s Day song she wrote for Divine Comedy.
“I”ve been singing since even before I can remember,” said Stoffer, a theater major from Delafield, Wis.
The last of the group”s songs, “Where Do We Go From Here?” was written and performed by Winegar, who is a pianist.
Winegar, a political science major from Washington, D.C., said she composes a lot of music. While most of it is pop, she said, some is classical.
“It sounds clich? to say that music is my sanity,” Winegar said. “But it”s true.”
Any interested students can participate in Acoustic Explosion by submitting a demo of their work to the Student Activities Board office located in Room 3326 of the WSC. Demos for the March performance are still being accepted, though whether an April performance will be held is still up in the air. For more information, contact the Student Activities Board at (801) 422-3122 or by visiting stab.byu.edu.
