By Hank Bartholomew
“Coffee House,” the Newspaper-Club-hosted evening of live music and performance, arrives at Williamsville East Friday, April 24th, marking the return of the event for this academic year. Attendance is free, all are welcome, the mic is open, and the grill is set for “brinner,” a combination of breakfast and dinner.
Coffee House is often defined by the environment it creates, per East Side News Deputy Editor-In-Chief Will Stark. Stark attended his first Coffee House his junior year, “and really liked it—it’s a really carefree atmosphere.” It was this kind of ambience that kept him coming back. “It’s a good place to meet people. It’s very freeing,” Stark said.
This year’s Coffee House has been a long time coming, with the ESN team noting that planning began prior to Winter Break. But that’s not to say that this patience has dimmed enthusiasm. “I’m excited we finally got it off the ground,” said Stark. “It sounds like a lot of people are interested in coming.”
And of course, there’s the food. Brinner is a hallmark of Coffee House, and widely considered the most beloved menu for the event. While Cheese Night and Asian Fusion are respected, Brinner is known to draw the largest crowd and sell out the quickest. Grillmasters Aarav Sapra and Mr. Huber will be flipping pancakes, making waffles, and cooking up pancakes. Additional options include baked goods, coffee, and more. Only cash is accepted.
Coffee House has a storied history at East, existing as a school staple for well over a dozen years. It was the brainchild of former club advisor Mr. Harnick and current club advisor Mr. Huber. Harnick “plays guitar and I was in a band,” said Huber. “We were talking about performing and how hard it is for kids to have a place to play. That was it: what if we did an open mic? That’s evolved into what we do now.” Over several generations of East students, Coffee House has been passed down; Newspaper Club member and guitarist Jack Stewart attributes his involvement in Coffee House to “being a part of Newspaper and hearing about it from upperclassmen who went to Coffee House before.”
Coffee House is a living, breathing animal, changing with the times and school culture. Mr. McClusky, who runs the sound and lighting for the event, noted how he’s observed Coffee House’s ability to evolve. “I’ve been working with Mr. Huber on Coffee House since 2019 or so,” said McClusky. “There used to be a lot more musical acts . . . that seems to have waned a little bit lately; there’s more karaoke and poetry recitations now.” This year, however, musical acts figure to make a comeback; Stewart, for instance, one of many musicians expressing interest in performing, plans upon playing a “a cover of a song with a few of my friends—but I’m not quite sure which one yet.” This ability to evolve, to change, then change back, is why Coffee House is, in some ways, a musical microcosm of East society. Coffee House is a cultural snapshot, a representation of East, both on a musical and social level.
Coffee House isn’t solely entertainment—it also fuels the ESN. Coffee House is one of the largest promotional efforts for the paper, said Stark. “It raises money for a lot of the efforts that we do.” Per Stark, that promotion and funding is key to the paper’s goals of “just making sure we have people coming to meetings and writing articles.” “Having big coffeehouses,” added Stewart, “is essential to keeping the paper running.” And beyond the enjoyment, there’s a far more practical value in both Coffee House and the paper. “They’re places for kids to use their voice,” said Huber.
For those looking for a calm, open environment to perform or simply listen to live music while enjoying food, Coffee House attempts to provide just that. As Mr. Huber noted, “Everybody needs a stage somewhere.”