Friday night, Prof. Seth Coluzzi (MUS) performed the feature act at the open-mic night at More Than Words, an independent bookstore in Waltham. More Than Words is not your typical bookseller. This used bookstore was founded as a non-profit business and is run by at-risk youth with the goal of helping them create a positive trajectory for their careers. Every third Friday of the month, More Than Words hosts an open-mic night. There is always one featured guest and 12 available slots for anybody who comes in to sign up that evening.

The bookstore provided a very cozy atmosphere for the show. The audience sat in armchairs, surrounded by books while the smell of freshly baked cookies wafted in from the bookstore's caf?(c).

Coluzzi, who has played at More Than Words before, seemed to know the regulars and fit right in with the community. When I asked Coluzzi if any of his students ever come, he said he's not very good at promoting himself. Coluzzi simply loves playing for the regulars, the performers and whoever shows up. I noticed that there was a strong sense of community among the performers. When a musician asked another musician if he could borrow his guitar for a song, the man enthusiastically said of course and that he would even tune it again for him before his performance. The audience cheered each other on and yelled out complements at the end of all of the performances.

The night was very eclectic. There were musicians who had written their own music, singers who sang along with songs on their iPods and there was even a man who played a miniature harp. The first performer, a guitarist and singer, prefaced his song by saying that he wasn't much of a musician and more of a poet. He confessed that this was his first time playing in front of a crowd and asked the audience to be understanding if he made mistakes.

There were some amazing youth that performed, including a girl, maybe 10 or 12, who sang Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" with passion that I didn't know was possible for such a young girl. She very confident on stage and her voice was beautiful and powerful. The audience sat forward in their seats, mouths open. I will be looking for this girl at the top of the iTunes charts in 10 years or so.

Coluzzi played last, dressed in understated clothing: a baseball hat and jeans. His songs were sincere and soulful and they featured his instrument, the guitar, and his vocals equally.

You could clearly hear the lyrics, which was nice because they were as beautiful as the vocal and instrumental melodies. Coluzzi reminded me of singer-songwriter Jackson Browne in that his songs were poetic and heartfelt.

Coluzzi's second song, "Weekend Respite," or "Blue Ridge Parkway," as he affectionately calls it, was an upbeat song about a road trip. The song was about a singular trip but also about the journey of life. Coluzzi sang, "[I will] never stop 'till the day I reach my grave." Coluzzi told the audience that he would "slow things down" with his next song, "Volatile Moments." This song was indeed more melancholy. 

It had a slow and steady beat and the lyrics talked about misunderstanding and communication between lovers as they tried to, as Coluzzi sang, "sit down and talk."

Coluzzi ended with a song called, "City Lines," my favorite of the set. The song was a political song about cities in relation to the world and Coluzzi illustrated this idea with poignant lyrics, demonstrating the interplay between city and earth. He sang, "city gets bigger, earth gets smaller" and, "city spins faster, earth turns more slowly." The beat was very catchy and had me tapping my feet.

More Than Words' open-mic night is definitely something I would go to again. It's a mellow way to spend a Friday evening and a surprise every time-you never know who will walk in the door and take the stage.