KPOET Is For The Riot Grrrls!
The lightning and thunder cracked outside Club 88 on March 7, but that did not stop the Womxn’s History Month Open Mic Night from being electric. Alongside the Gender Equity Center, KPOET Radio held a special open mic and concert event just before students went home for Spring break titled “Riot Grrrl,” an homage to the feminist punk movement in the ’90s. Club 88 was filled with KPOET’s signature style of decor featuring a sign made from newspapers and tin foil to black and pink polka dots covering the walls.
The event was set to begin at 5 p.m. but was unfortunately delayed due to the weather, but this did not stop the party from starting. Co-Manager of KPOET, second-year Paige Meyer-Draffen (PMD), began the event by apologizing for the delay but ensured there was still plenty to do before the acts arrived. Set up in the back of the room was a stack of vinyls alongside large canvases to paint, as well as several photo opps, including the Kissing Booth from KPOET’s previous Haunted Valentine event. On the projector, clips from famous girl bands and other various female artists played to set the stage for the rest of the night.
To kick off the performances, PMD and other Co-Manager of KPOET, second-year Emily Perez-Medina hit the stage with a karaoke performance to “crushcrushcrush” by Paramore. Family and friends filmed and cheered, filling the venue with incredible energy. The mood quickly shifted, just as joyus but a little bit slower when PMD announced third-year Jamey Duncan-Whitt to the stage. Duncan-Whitt performed a spoken word poem titled “Hiker,” that blew the room away with its raw emotion. The crowd roared as Duncan-Whitt left the stage and the next performer Eliana Peretz entered. Peretz performed an acapella cover of Amy Whinehouse’s “Love is Blind,” and stunned the audience with her incredible singing voice. For the last performance before a brief intermission, PMD introduced first-year Amelie Tapia to the stage. Tapia first performed a powerful spoken word poem titled “Own,” which she said was inspired by one of her favorite music artists, Billie Eilish. Following the poem, Tapia sang a karaoke cover of “My Future,” another homage to her, and one of my, favorite singers.
KPOET staff then alerted the audience that bands were running late and encouraged the crowd to go grab some food and come back. During this intermission the song “Ecuador” by Sash played loudly through the speakers as Perez-Medina took to the stage holding a sign that read “Venga conmigo al prom?” asking third-year Sean Frank, a KPOET staff member and Whittfest Coordinator, to prom. Frank replied loudly into the microphone, “Yeah! Everyone go to Prom on April 12!” The room erupted with screams of excitement as they had just witnessed the first promposal of the season. Perez-Medina then reminded the crowd to film their promposals and tag @kpoetradio and @wc.mediacouncil on Instagram.
Music never stopped playing in Club 88 as the first band, Chimera, began to set up for their set. The crowd took their seats, excited to hear some music. The band introduced themselves as a female led Los Angeles/Long Beach-based hardcore punk band. The lead singer expressed her excitement for getting to be a part of the Women’s History Month event and then began their first song titled “Incel.” The crowd felt the music in their veins, and started a mini-mosh pit. Chimera’s energy was off the charts, you could feel the passion and excitement from the audience. They played a total of eight songs, ending with “Blood” that was their most intense of them all. The lead singer excitedly thanked everyone for coming out and for the invitation, then left the stage.
Finally, the band Reverse Cowgirls took to the stage for their set. Every member of the band had their own style, but each person wore a cowboy hat. The lead singer, Alyssa Carron, wore all black and bedazzled her hat and outfit, while the bassist wore black jeans with cheetah print boots. Before beginning the lead singer said with enthusiasm, “Thanks for coming out despite the rain!” Reverse Cowgirl’s set definitely slowed down the vibe from Chimera, but it did not slow down the energy. Several fans of the band took front row seats and cheered loudly. The band played nine folk rock style songs while they shared banter with their friends in the crowd. After their last planned song the lead singer yelled “Let’s do one more!” causing the crowd to erupt into cheering.
KPOET’s events never fall short of creating an incredible atmosphere and good times. Be sure to follow @kpoetradio on Instagram to stay up to date on their events. Don’t forget to attend Poet Prom on April 12, that KPOET will be co hosting alongside Media Council and Program Board.
Photo courtesy of KPOET Radio
