Midterms are coming to an end, and spring break is only a couple of days away. Even though things are winding down around campus, Legends is still offering plenty of great entertainment. Kicking off the weekend are Hot Mildred and John Klein, performing tonight beginning at 10 p.m.
Hot Mildred is a student cover band that has been gaining popularity since it first started last spring. This will be its third performance at Legends this year. They cover songs from the '80s and '90s, as well as songs that are on today's charts, and are easily recognized as student favorites.
Hot Mildred is made up of four members. Senior Larry Bailey is the bassist and back-up vocalist, senior Trish Murphy is the lead singer, graduate student Brian Zampell plays the drums and graduate Ron Thompson plays the electric guitar. Although Hot Mildred has only been around since last spring, Bailey and Thompson have been playing together since 2003.
Hot Mildred does not write their own music, but it still has a lot to offer to the audience. It's easy to relate to their song choices, making them favorites for the college crowd. Tonight, the band will be playing a high-energy mix of songs covering everything from U2 to Tom Petty, even including some Kelly Clarkson. With their excellent covers, the band should continue the tradition of wowing Notre Dame audiences.
John Klein, along with Micki Cascio, will follow Hot Mildred as the second act of the evening. Klein is a familiar face for AcoustiCafe attendees, last performing at the Best of AcoustiCafe on Feb.16. Performing a mix of covers and original songs, Klein describes his choices as a Jason Mraz-John Mayer hybrid.
He is an established performer on campus, having participated in AcoustiCafe, numerous PemCo productions and the annual student film festival. For this event, he is joined by Cascio, in her Notre Dame debut, on the bongos. Since meeting at RA orientation this past fall, Klein and Cascio had discussed the possibility of performing together and melding their expertise on guitar and percussions, respectively. This will be their first performance together - minus the rehearsals leading up to this show - and both are excited about this opportunity.
Klein said that along with covers and original songs, the audience can expect "a few bad jokes," as he wants to keep the mood of the night fun and mellow. With the set beginning and ending with Mraz covers, the evening will include songs by other popular artists including Mayer, Jack Johnson, Jimmy Eat World, The Shins and "happy" Dashboard Confessional, as well as Klein's original work.
One of Klein's biggest goals to is to introduce to the audience unfamiliar songs by familiar artists. In the spirit of keeping the night fun, he also wants the performance and songs to be "as un-emo as possible."
Whether students' interests are popular hits from the '80s through today, or stylings along the lines of Mraz, there is something for everyone tonight. Sure to get spring break off to a great start, the show promises a welcome relief from the rigors of midterm week.
