Talents Showcased at Stonehill Open Mic Night

By Michael Farwell

Stonehill College concert coffee houses are rising in popularity and becoming a place for students to showcase their talent.

Students perform at the coffee house for various reasons. Some play just for fun, others to entertain a crowd, and some to test their own capability.

“I get bored playing guitar in my room. I used to play in talent shows and other concert type events in high school. I figured I should share my music with people who enjoy it.” Junior, Chad Gaughn, said.

Coffee House committee executive Devin Mauch had his own opinion of why people play. “I think it is a personal test for some people. They want to see if they are able to play in front of a crowd and starting out at an open Mic is the best idea. It can be tormenting at times, but it is a way to see if you can get that crowd approval before going somewhere else like a bar or a bigger venue to perform.”

Mauch who is on the concert coffee house committee said there are about 10 to 15 coffeehouses a year at Stonehill with 10 to 15 people, solo or in groups performing.

The concert coffeehouse is a self funded committee; however, at many open Mic nights at various café’s and bars you will find a variety of sponsors. “I sponsor some open Mic nights around Mystic, Conn. and Westerly, RI. They give me a chance to advertise my store and it provides bars with a unique or specialty beer for the evening.” Kevin Wildes, Cask’N Keg owner (A Mystic Liquor Store) said.

It is common to find Liquor stores, beer brands, and even Brick House surf shop in Marblehead/Gloucester has sponsored an open Mic night, all in hopes of getting some good publicity.

“We get bands and live entertainment in here all the time. It creates a good bar atmosphere and lightens the mood. Not only is it a good opportunity for the artists but also a chance to bring people into the bar that normally wouldn’t come in. It works as a positive for everyone involved. We have regulars now at the [bar] because of musicians they have seen come into the bar.” Peter Kelly, Pickled Onion (Beverly, Mass. Pub), said.


Eric Scholl and Shane Caffrey, aspiring musicians, saw the open-Mic night at Stonehill as an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Caffrey who frequents the stage during the concert coffee house felt that it was time that he and fret board-master Eric Scholl finally publically collaborated. “A lot of times we will be sitting in Scholly’s room just fooling around on the guitar and while I’m playing a riff, Eric will just start soloing,” Caffrey said.

It took some coaxing to finally get the two on the stage together.

“Nothing was spur of the moment about this,” Scholl said. “Shane really pushed for me to get up on stage with him. I remember countless times where I would walk over to O’Hara with my guitar and amp, Shane and I would have a few beers, and then start playing together. Even though it isn’t a huge venue its a little different being up on stage in-front of a bunch of people you don’t know. And that spotlight man, that thing seems like the sun when you are up there.”

Caffrey, a Scituate native, began playing the bass in his bedroom when he was 13-years-old. Eric Scholl, a Wilmington native, began his North Shore shredding at the same age of 13 after a heavy Metallica influence from his older brother, Will Scholl.

Caffrey, who now plays guitar, has a slightly different style than that of Scholl. Caffrey, with a phenomenal voice, sings like he is straight out of the south. A seemingly natural southern drawl with some high pitched falsettos seems to swoon any crowd he plays for.

While not only singing storytelling country lyrics, Caffrey also plays the rhythm guitar, keeping pace and tempo of the song in order.

Solo-master, Eric Scholl plays a heavier metal and blues guitar for the duo. Despite having an unparalleled voice, Scholl lets his guitar do the singing. “When Eric solos I get goose bumps,” Caffrey Said.

Despite sounding so different individually, when the two pair up together and play, their musical styles seemingly mix together like The Allman Brothers meets Black Sabbath.

“We’re far from where we want to be, but it is tough in college with so many other distractions. Eric is on the hockey team and I am the manager so that is a big commitment. Not to mention the countless hours of work we have for school. We’re going to keep grinding slowly but surely and hopefully go bigger than Stonehill coffee house with our music,” Caffrey said.

A Generation of Reaching Out: College Students’ Volunteering

By Ellen Kennedy

Throughout her four year career at Stonehill College, Samantha Dakoulas has had the opportunity to study across the pond in Belgium and venture to the remote African island country of Madagascar.

For her last spring break, Dakoulas felt the urge to travel again. This time though, it wouldn’t be for studying or leisure: it would be to volunteer to help others.

Dakoulas isn’t the only college student who traded in leisure and late nights for helping others. According to Break Away, a national non-profit organization that helps college student organize service trips, more than 30,000 students opted for community service instead of a traditional spring break trip.

Volunteering among college students in general is also on the rise. The Corporation for National and Community Service has reported that the number of college students volunteering has increased 20 percent between 2002 and 2005. The study also found that many colleges, including college courses, have made volunteer service mandatory.

The group says that incidents such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina have spawned a new generation in community service.

“One bright spot coming out of the 9/11 tragedy is a surge of interest by college students in serving their community," said Steve Goldsmith, the chairman of the Board of the Corporation. “This rise in college student volunteering and the growing campus support for service are hopeful signs for the future of civic involvement in America.”

Dakoulas, along with approximately 20 other Stonehill students, traveled to the South American country of Peru for a week of volunteering and community outreach. The trip was part of H.O.P.E., a Stonehill alternative spring break program which stands for “Honoring our neighbor, Organizing for Justice, Peace, Encountering God.”

Organized through campus ministry at Stonehill, student leaders work with campus ministers to coordinate the program. Preparations for spring break begin at the beginning of the fall semester.

This spring, 115 students and a dozen faculty, staff and administrators traveled to Honduras, the Dominican Republic, the gulf coast, New Orleans, Tennessee, and New York through H.O.P.E. The program is just one part of Stonehill’s wide range of volunteer opportunities, which include first-year volunteer programs and Into the Streets, Stonehill’s community service program that saw more than 51,000 hours of community service put in during the 2007-08 school year.

"Service permeates Stonehill and the College strongly believes in providing all students with an education that requires them to take responsibility for the world outside these walls," said Nuala Boyle, director of community service & volunteerism at Stonehill.

Dakoulas, who volunteered at least three hours a week in high school and volunteered all four years at Stonehill, said traveling to Peru was a “perfect fit” for her future plans.

Dakoulas and her group traveled to Canto Grande, a city outside the capital city of Lima. Residents of the beautiful desert community surrounded by mountains do not have much, but most people had electricity and running water.

A typical day for the volunteers began around 7 a.m. After a group breakfast, students worked a full day together at two local schools, playing with children and working to maintain the schools’ facilities.

“The friendships I made with both the people in the group and the people I met there was one of the best parts of the whole experience,” Dakoulas said.

The Corporation hopes to have the number of student volunteers up to five million by 2010. The new generation of college-aged volunteers can have lasting benefits, both personal and societal.

“The tragic events of the last few years coupled with growing university and K-12 support for volunteering and service-learning have translated into more college students mentoring, tutoring, and engaging in their community in ways that could produce a lifetime habit,” Goldsmith said.

Dakoulas, who hopes to work in developing countries after college, said she can use this experience as a starting point to her career goal. Her only regret is that she can’t participate in another H.O.P.E. trip again.

“I wish I wasn’t a senior so I could go next year,” Dakoulas said.