Middle and high school students now have a monthly music night made just for them: the All Ages Show & Open Mic at Coffeebar, hosted by the Family Resource Center of Truckee. Many of the attending teenagers are becoming regulars at the event, excited at the opportunity to perform their favorite tunes and to try out new songs, all in a safe and comfortable environment. The concert series also includes raffle prizes, happy hour prices on Coffeebar food and drinks, and performances by local bands and musicians. March’s event will include music from the band Lost Whiskey Engine, which includes Sean McAlindin from Tahoe’s Adventure Risk Challenge.
There aren’t many musical events geared toward teenagers in Truckee, which is what AmeriCorps volunteers Jackie McKinney and Jennifer Koch found when they started working at the Family Resource Center in October. “In Brentwood, the town I grew up in, we had something on Friday nights called The House; they had live music, movie nights, dinner nights, and support groups,” McKinney said. “It was a place for teens to be safe, and it was drug and alcohol free. I wanted to bring that here.”
Upon arriving at the Family Resource Center, McKinney immediately thought of organizing something for teens in the community. After McKinney and Koch attended a Tahoe Truckee Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force meeting and Truckee High School’s Challenge Day in November, the project turned into a monthly teen-friendly night of music. The first show and open mic night was in January, and it repeats the second Saturday of every month.
While there was not a huge turnout at February’s event, there was a solid crew of teens that took turns performing, singing along, and cheering on their fellow musicians. Playing ukuleles, guitars, and even an autoharp, they sang covers like “I Will Survive” and “Wagon Wheel,” and original songs, raps, and improvisations, both solo and duet performances. “There’s open mics all over the place, but they don’t really serve our age group,” said Chloe Champion, a Truckee High junior that performed original and cover songs on guitar. “It’s nice to have something like this.”
The vibe, sort of a music-around-the-campfire feel sans campfire, was hardly intimidating, which many of the performers appreciated. “We really like supporting good music and we like to play music, mostly for each other at this point,” said Taysa Mohler, a senior at Truckee High who played ukulele. “If there were a ton of people here, I would be way more nervous,” she said. Another Truckee High senior, Kat Bloomfield, also shared her thoughts about the open mic nights: “I really like it because I play a lot of music at my house, but this is a cool way to show off without pressure and to see what everyone else is doing.”
For more information and event updates, visit the Family Resource Center of Truckee’s facebook page.
~ Comment on this story below.
