The buttery scent of freshly popped corn and the echoes of a soprano timbre swirled through the air of the Night Owl Café (NOC) on Saturday night as the Social Activities Council (SAC) hosted its Coffee House with a feature performance by Nashville-based musician Jillian Dawn.
Students had the opportunity to grab a free bag of popcorn, a canned drink and gather with their friends in the seats of the NOC to listen to Dawn perform an hour-long set with her guitar, composed of original songs, covers and on-the-spot requests from the audience.
Patrick Dumont, junior and member of SAC, coordinated the event. “I went through DEGI, a catalog of entertainers, and listened to songs trying to find the right artist that fit the vibe of the event,” Dumont said when asked how he went about booking Dawn for the event.
“Jillian was perfect for what we wanted.”
“We were worried because of the weather and the upcoming storm that people would miss out on the event, so it’s been really nice to see people come out,” Kerrin Shea, senior and president of SAC, said.
“It’s a lot of fun to plan these events and get to bounce ideas off of each other as well as meet the artists who came to play,” Dumont said.
Shea shared a similar sentiment. “We just met Jillian and have been talking to her and she’s been telling us about how her aunt graduated from Keene State, and it’s really nice to get to develop that sort of vendor relationship and learn about the people who come here to play for us,” Shea said.
Jillian Dawn was willing to speak with The Equinox after her set. “I love doing gigs like this,” Dawn said when asked why she chose to come out to the KSC campus to perform. “Colleges are awesome, the atmosphere is always great. It feels like just yesterday I was in college.”
Dawn said her favorite song to perform was “Like All My Friends Do,” an original song from her newest album, “The Fall & The Fallout” released in October last year. Dawn mentioned during her performance that while she didn’t perform it, “Band-Aid” is her favorite song off this album.
When asked if SAC planned for more artists to come to campus to entertain in the future, Shea said absolutely. “We have a full schedule of events for the upcoming semester. We’re planning to have more entertainers, musicians and comedians come out and perform.”
“It’s really cool to get to come out and see artists, especially people who come from, like, across the country just to perform for us, and to see them for free, it’s great,” Erin Ciempa, senior and member of SAC, said after watching Dawn’s performance.
Those interested can check out Dawn’s music on Spotify, Apple Music and more under “Jillian Dawn.” Students who would like to attend future performances put on by the Social Activities Council can refer to the group’s Instagram, @ksc_sac, to view upcoming events.
Serena Taylor can be contacted at
staylor@kscequinox.com
