Sarah Nicholas

Staff Writer

    With all the chaos of high school and social events, as a student, experiencing different areas of culture isn’t always a top priority.  That’s not the case though downtown at Etcetera Coffeehouse on N 6th Street.  They encourage and welcome all types of art and culture with open arms and an iced espresso. Not only do they offer tons of variations of coffee, baked goods, and bubble tea, but they also are the home of open mic night every Friday.  Open mic night consists of poetry readings, musical performances (covers or original), and an opportunity to express anything you’ve created, or even someone else’s art, that you appreciate and want to present.  The majority of their popularity was gained over offering an impressive selection of flavored bubble tea, an urban beverage.  People of all ages and personalities flock to the shop every weekend for great entertainment and unique refreshments.

    While Etcetera invites both originals and covers/tributes to already established artists on Friday nights, Saturdays are a different story.  One Saturday out of the month, the brew bureau has an open mic night, except they accept only original musical performances.  This personally initiated tradition exhibits not only the musical talent that our area has to share, but also the creativity the artists harness.  The three remaining Saturdays in the month are dedicated to showcase individual artists.  They typically play for about two hours and have an assortment of instruments to show off, since they have more time to set up.

    Daniel Morrow of Paducah was the talented individual who entertained the coffee consumers of the night.  With the exception of myself and a handful of my friends, the turnout was mostly adults with their children, which is unusual for the café.  Daniel Morrow, as a seasoned guitarist, had an elaborate layout of amps and pedals.  This guitar virtuoso left a fresh impression, to say the least, with his electric guitar riffs, playing what sounded like soft rock, but also incorporating eastern sounds and percussion.  It was definitely a different experience, but one that provided culture to all of whom came out and heard. 

    Performances of all forms are presented down on North 6th street.  I’d pose it as a question, but I know for a fact that everyone reading this, at some point, has found themselves during the weekend with a free schedule and nothing to do.  When the time comes where time is all you have, resort to swinging by Etcetera Coffeehouse.  It’s an overall quirky experience.  I mean, some performances may not be your cup of tea, but if not, just pick a flavor and buy it.