193 Coffeehouse was bursting at the seams on Thursday, Sept. 18, for the first Band Night of the semester.
Upwards of 80 students crammed into the Memorial Union space to enjoy the music of local bands Fermat, Marble House and Dogtree.
“The first show could have possibly been one of the best opening nights the Coffeehouse has ever seen, or at least that I have seen since I started working there,” fourth-year Ali Iaciofano, one of the event coordinators for the Coffeehouse, said. “The energy was through the roof; you could tell that people were genuinely enjoying themselves.”
First up on the bill was Fermat, who played an assortment of rock-infused tunes. The band ripped out originals like “Last Theorem” and covered “Linger” by The Cranberries. Their group is composed of University of Rhode Island students second-year vocalist Thomas Cox, third-year guitarists Ryan Baudisch and Peter Tolmei, fourth-year bassist Julien Turner and fourth-year drummer Logan Mccue.
“[We’re] an indie band with influences ranging from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to Title Fight,” Tolmei said. “I guess we try not to put ourselves in a box too much.”
Next up was Marble House, a punk-styled indie rock group, who riled up the crowd with their rendition of “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan. Another band of URI students, they featured fourth-year vocalist Gwen Kavanaugh, fourth-year guitarist Aidan Sullivan, fourth-year bassist Victor Paulino, fourth-year keyboardist Abigail Stephenson and URI alum drummer Leah Popovic (‘24). Stephenson cited Paramore, Wilt, Sweet Pill and Boygenius as the group’s major influences.
“It’s gay girl rock, basically,” Stephenson said.
Rounding out the performance was Dogtree, a quartet that plucked out groovy jazz fusion originals like “Marbrook,” “Monkey’s Paw” and “The Deer Population in Rhode Island.” Their group is composed of mainly Rhode Island College students, including fourth-year vocalist and lead guitarist Oliver Littlefield, fourth-year saxophonist Kyle Giammarco and fourth-year drummer Jacob Siegel. Their outlier is URI fourth-year bassist Ryan Chauvette.
Consistent with every band was the lively moshpit, which stirred all night. This kind of engagement is quite common within the Coffeehouse crowd, and is also the best aspect of performing there, according to the bands.
But students who missed out on this performance are in luck, as 193 Coffeehouse will be hosting their Band Nights every other Thursday for the rest of the semester. The next Band Night at the Coffeehouse will be on Oct. 3, featuring URI student bands Coughdrop, Morning Shower and DreamingOfMars. The event will be free of charge.
The Coffeehouse also hosts a myriad of events including paint nights, movie nights, slam poetry and musical events such as their open mic nights, which occur on Thursdays alternating with their Band Nights. For more information on events and anything else going on in this space, follow the Coffeehouse on Instagram, @193coffeehouse.
Fermat Members:
Tommy Cox, Peter Tolmei, Ryan Baudisch, Logan Mccue, Julien Turner
Marble House Members:
Leah Popovic (on drums), Aidan Sullivan (on guitar), Abigail Stephenson (on keyboard), Gwen Kavanaugh (on vocals), Victor Paulino (on guitar)
DogTree Members:
Oliver Littlefield (on guitar), Kyle Giammarco (on saxophonist), Jacob Siegel (on drums), Ryan Chauvette (on bass)