The first student musician to perform at the Associated Students, Inc. acoustic concert series will be sociology freshman Nesrine Majzoub.
Kelly Trom
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A new kind of musical entertainment will be kicking off Wednesday downstairs in the Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU). From 12 to 2 p.m., Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) is hosting the first acoustic series that will feature solely student musicians.
“There are a lot of students who hang out, study and get Starbucks,” said ASI Events Musical Entertainment Assistant and business administration senior Gage McGinnis. “We thought it would be good for students to be able to sit and enjoy some acoustic music, whether they are just passing by or sitting down and having a cup of coffee with friends.”
Student musicians who played at KCPR’s open mic during fall quarter were contacted about performing at the acoustic series this quarter. The first student musician to perform is sociology freshman Nesrine Majzoub.
“I think it will be cool to have live music in the UU, switching it up, because there is always music playing, but it would be cool to have real music going on,” Majzoub said. “It will be fun and hopefully brighten people’s days.”
Her stage name is Nesrine Faith. She recently released a five-song EP “The Summer in Between” on iTunes, with 50 percent of the profits providing clean water to communities around the globe.
Majzoub has been playing instruments since she was young, under the instruction of her two older siblings.
“I started playing instruments when I was younger, but then I ended up quitting because I got frustrated,” Majzoub said. “I picked all of the instruments that I used to play back up around middle school and high school and I have been singing for as long as I can remember.”
Currently, she plays the acoustic guitar, banjo and mandolin. As much as she loves playing musical instruments, writing her own lyrics is what she is most passionate about.
“Right now, I am kind of into singer-songwriter and indie folk, even if it sounds kind of cliché,” Majzoub said. “I am looking forward to explore new sounds because I love working with other people musically. I am actually having a few other people play with me for the concert.”
Aerospace engineering freshman Zachary Davis is playing piano, harmonica and backup vocals with Majzoub on Wednesday. The two musicians met in the residence halls.
“(Majzoub’s music) has a lot of emotional value to it,” Davis said. “A lot of the lyrics in her songs are story-based. It has an emotional message behind it, things that have actually happened in her life. I describe her music as really kind of eye-opening. Of course, the music behind it has really great flow, really deep resonating crazy fulfilling chords.”
Her lyrics and songwriting inspiration are molded not only by something that happened in her own life, but by various thoughts and creative ways that she views the world.
“Sometimes it starts with a metaphor I think of or something I see that is inspiring,” Mazjoub said. “A lot of times, it is just about things that happen in life. A lot of it is also influenced by what I believe in and my faith. I think it is important that lyrics resonate with your audience and being able to spread a positive message through that.”
Not only will students in the UU get to experience Mazjoub’s original music that is on her EP, but she will also be doing acoustic covers of both older and popular songs.
“We are doing an acoustic cover of Capital Cities’ ‘Safe and Sound,’” Davis said. “That’s one of my favorite songs and to take an electronic song and to put an acoustic spin on it, it sounds really cool. I think that is going to be a lot of fun up on stage.”
Majzoub has performed at a variety of open mics, small shows, church gatherings and fundraising events. She said she loves the energy of playing in front of a live audience.
“I want to be able to spread hope and love somehow in other people’s lives,” Mazjoub said. “Whether it is through me being able to talk to them or being able to play music for them, that is what I hope for.”
While Mazjoub’s voice will be heard Wednesday, two other student artists throughout the quarter will be playing to round out the series.
“I think (the acoustic series) is a really cool, fun way to get students involved playing music, especially on campus,” Davis said. “When you have people like Nesrine and I, who really enjoy music and have been playing all of our lives, it gives us an opportunity to play for a lot of people.”
In all of the acoustic shows this quarter, the music will be unplugged and raw.
“There is one thing that acoustic music has that electronic doesn’t,” Davis said. “I guess it’s that warmth of the actual tone behind everything, because electronic music sometimes sounds kind of harsh and cold. I like how acoustic music sounds warm, and all of the chords mix so well together.”
The other two acoustic series performances will be on Jan. 29 and Feb. 19, featuring Alyssa Wigant and Kevin Hedgi, respectively.
Correction: A previous version of this article said the show was from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.