Last Tuesday night at Cholmondley's, Triskelion took over for a night of Coming Out Week fun. Several musicians were featured, alongside a side-splitting monologue, and the evening closed with a rocking set by student band Swallow the Leader.The evening began with an acoustic set by Rachel Rausch '05, whose gentle voice floated over her acoustic guitar. The set featured covers by artists like Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls (Rausch's rendition of their song, "Galileo," was a high point of the set), as well as some original works of her own. It was a very mellow set, perfect for easing the audience into the evening.

Josh Ludzki '03 followed Rausch with a performance of an original monologue. It was a side splitting affair as he awkwardly slipped into his cigarette-smoking character, proclaiming, "I hope this looks okay; I've never smoked before!" It was a rambling, stream-of-consciousness piece covering the topics of society, religion, and relationships, and what it feels like to be a gay man encountering all three. The monologue was scattered with uproarious laughter from the audience, as Ludzki proclaimed one-line-witticisms such as, "I'll bet God smokes," and was met with thundering applause at it's close.

Following Ludzki was Mark Lipman '04, another singer-songwriter who dazzled the crowd, which had practically doubled since the beginning of the coffeehouse. Lipman's sweet tenor voice slithered over easy acoustic guitar, or over the simple tapping of his foot. Lipman performed three dazzling a cappella pieces, covering Bonnie Raitt's "Since I Fell For You," and two pieces by Kenny Rankin: "Haven't We Met" and "In the Name of Love." Lipman also covered - this time with the help of his acoustic guitar - Radiohead's "High and Dry." He also offered two of his own creations, "Downfall," a slow sad song, and "How To Deal In A Crazy World," which he admitted to penning earlier that same day.

To close the evening with an hour set, Triskelion brought Swallow the Leader, a campus band comprised of Mark Hopkins '03 (guitar and vocals), Jeff Wright '03 (guitar), Dave Earls '03 (drums), and Chris Bersbach '03 (bass guitar), to the stage. The first electric musicians of the evening, they were a welcome and somewhat abrupt change from the previously mellow mood. They played a blistering set, the highlights of which included "White Again," "Through the Ceiling or On the Field," "Carry Me Away" and "Lucky Seven," all of which were original songs.

They also played some great covers, including The Stroke's "Last Nite," and The Refreshment's "Banditos." While the band themselves claimed it was an off-night, everyone in attendance was impressed by their musical dexterity and diversity. As the night drew to a close, Swallow The Leader ended their set with what may become the new Coming Out Week anthem: "Pink Triangle" by Weezer. Laughter mixed with joyful singing as Triskelion proudly wrapped up its first coffeehouse of the year.