On the evening of Feb. 16, students and faculty gathered around the Starbucks area with their $3 grande frappuccinos in hand (a steal) for a night of music and comedy. First up to the microphone was Steven Vanyoh, who opened with some standup comedy. During his set, he told the story of how his parents almost named him Vincent. Very similar to the name Vincent Van Gogh, Vanyoh joked that he “would have been bullied in school!”

Next to take the floor was Caroline Hermance ’20. This was not Hermance’s first time stepping up the WLOY mic to show the Loyola community her singing and ukulele-playing abilities. Her set consisted of both original songs and popular covers, such as a mashup of Grammy-winner Chance the Rapper’s, “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” “Juke Jam,” and of course, “No Problem.”

Later on in the evening, Hermance stepped up to the plate to close out the show with more originals, Adele’s “Hello,” and Hozier’s “From Eden.”

At around 9:30 p.m., Kyle Hand ’20 took to the floor as another standup comedy act. Throughout his set, many jokes were cracked about himself, all in good fun, of course. Hand repeatedly played on the fact that he is a white male living in America, using these characteristics to portray an overarching lack of diversity.

“No one seems to remember my name, which is understandable because I’m male and white,” he joked.

Next up was four-piece senior group Secret Menu who arranged themselves on the floor with their drum set, microphones, and two guitars. When questioned about their group name, they explained how they got it from the lovely Starbucks employees. Once again, students listened to a mix of original songs and covers by Asher Roth, The Black Eyed Peas, and D.R.A.M.

“I am very impressed and pleasantly surprised with Secret Menu,” said Andrew Boyadjian ’19.

 The crowd was clapping and singing along when the group got to their mashup of “Waiting on the World to Change” with original lyrics dispersed throughout. Secret Menu’s original lyrics highlighted the current state of America, stressing the fact that we are a nation that values numbers and test scores. Before ending their performance, the group chose to end on a positive note. Ultimately, they went with a crowd-pleaser: a cover of D.R.A.M and Lil Yachty’s “Broccoli.”

WLOY hosts events every Thursday night. Come out and support Loyola’s talents!

All Photos Courtesy of Marisa Ganley