Every Thursday night, students walking through the Midtown Campus can hear the sweet sounds of other Western Connecticut State University students performing in the MicroMart (located in the basement of the Student Center). Coffeehouse is a weekly event that gives students an opportunity to perform for their peers. On the Trail—a band comprised of WCSU Music Department alumni—was the featured act for the coffeehouse on September 2nd.  

The band performed a set of several raunchy bluegrass songs. This was not On the Trail’s first performance at Midtown’s weekly coffeehouse. In fact, their debut show was at a Coffeehouse a few years ago when the band was in their infancy.  

The four members met each other during different stages of their educational journey as two of them were Audio Engineering majors, one a Music Education major, and one a Classical Performance for Voice major.  

The four members of the band—Charlie, Austin, Tom, and Niles—did not start attending WCSU at the same time. Charlie is the oldest; he graduated when Austin started his first year of student teaching (the last steps for Music Education majors). Tom was a freshman when Austin and Charlie asked him to perform with them. Niles was somewhere in the halls of the Music Department playing, “every instrument,” he could. Charlie actually asked Austin to start playing bluegrass with him during the set of another band he was a part of, and here they are a few years later.   

The band wants other WCSU students to know that Coffeehouse is more than just sitting and watching your peers showcase their talents—it’s also a networking space. Dean Cramer, the Dean of Students at WCSU, helps students find opportunities to further their reach and audience. Coffeehouse also serves as a practice space for students looking to get comfortable with performing. Charlie notes that he, “never performed in a coffeehouse,” until he was a part of a band because, “it scared [him].”  

Niles adds that music majors do not get to express themselves in the best way because of the limitations of the music program (primarily jazz or classical training). Coffeehouse provides students coming in and out of the music program a wonderful space to practice and gain recognition for their craft.