By Elnaz Akbari, Spoke News
Open-mic nights have a way of bringing people together. So it is at The Boathouse, where bar patrons are provided with some entertainment while the acts must maintain a certain level of humility and vulnerability to keep the crowd warm and friendly.
The Boathouse in Victoria Park, Kitchener, Ont., holds a weekly open-mic night and has regularly brought in great crowds for bands like Anti Social Surf Club, an indie rock band from here in Kitchener, who comfortably rocked the stage for a crowd of happy onlookers.
Zach McVannel, the self-proclaimed “botanist and bassist” of the band, recently appeared to be right in his element on stage, looking the part in his Hawaiian shirt and Vans sneakers while he put on a great show for new and old fans alike.“I love being up there,” McVannel proclaimed. “When I’m on stage, I forget about everything else in the world and just feel at one with the music and really feel like I connect with the crowd.”
However, the bands aren’t the only ones that get satisfaction from the weekly event. Many different types of people come in on any given Monday to take part in the fun and be a part of the show by providing some great atmosphere as an active members of the crowd.
They include people such as Amanda Ly, a psychology student from Wilfrid Laurier University, who attended the event for the first time last month.
“This place is really cool,” said Ly. “I’ve always thought about going to one of these things, but never actually did it. They really have a certain kind of magic to them, you know?”
Open-mic nights are held at 8:30 p.m. on Mondays at The Boathouse, located in the heart of downtown Kitchener in the Victoria Park.
