Hamilton students gathered for the Campus Activities Board’s first Acoustic Coffeehouse of the semester on Thursday, Sept. 14. Students filled the Events Barn to enjoy live music, free cookies, hot cider, and Opus Chai.

The night began with opener Grant Ellis, a young singer-songwriter who released his debut EP,

Milky Milk

, over the summer. Ellis performed six songs while accompanying himself on the guitar and one song playing the piano.

His voice was soft and smooth, and his style similar to that of Jason Mraz. While his songs were pleasant, Ellis’s lack of experience, especially compared to Wells, was evident. During his song “Rollin,’” Ellis stopped after a few lines, admitting that he started the song in the wrong octave. Despite this mistake, the audience still enjoyed Ellis’s set. He ended with a beautiful rendition of The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”

The headliner for the night was Tyrone Wells, a singer-songwriter from Spokane, Washington. In the late 1990s, Wells was the lead singer for Skypark, a Christian rock band. In 2000 he went solo, performing his own music at various acoustic venues in Orange County, California.

Although Wells is not a mainstream name, he has had quite an impressive career. Two of his albums,

Metal and Wood

(2010) and

Where We Meet

(2012), reached number one on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter Chart. Additionally, Wells’ music has had over 50 placements n television and film. His song “Sink or Swim” was featured in promos for the season six premiere of

Grey’s Anatomy

. Another one of his songs, “Time of Our Lives,” was used on an episode of

The Vampire Diaries.

Both “Sink or Swim,” and “Time of Our Lives,” the latter as an encore song, were hits among the audience at the coffeehouse.

Wells performed eleven numbers. He impressed the audience with his vocal technique, moving songs, and engaging personality. Moreover, his passion and connection to the words he was singing shone through as he sang.

One of the highlights of Wells’ set was “More.”

Wells prefaced the song by dedicating it to people going through a tough time. He said, “In a crowd this size there are always people who are going through a dark time whether it’s with family, or personal reasons, or anything.” “More” was inspiring and the silence of the audience throughout the song showed its power. A lighter but equally enjoyable moment in his set was when Wells showcased his impressive yodeling abilities in “Two Buffalo.” After the song, Wells comedically told the audience, “I can feel your jealousy.” Another highlight of Wells’ set was his autobiographical number, “Carolina Blues.” The song was inspired by his grandfather, who taught him that love is more important than money.

Wells connected with the audience not only through his music, but with the stories that he told in between songs. In one particularly interesting anecdote, Wells described a time when he was playing at the Orange County Swap Meet many years ago when he was a new artist. He was playing one of his songs, “Sea Breeze,” and a young woman came up to him asking why he was playing her friend Sam’s song. Wells responded that it was his song and the girl protested, claiming her friend Sam wrote that song for his girlfriend.

After much back and forth, the woman came to realize that her friend had been stealing Wells’ songs, claiming them as his own and singing them to his girlfriend. Wells told other stories including one about a proposal he sang for, and one about his father teaching him to yodel. The audience was laughing and hooked throughout all of these stories.

Overall, the night was a success thanks to CAB, Grant Ellis, Tyrone Wells, and the audience.

For those interested in seeing Wells perform outside of Hamilton, he can be seen on tour in New York City in the spring.