By AMANDA GIGLIO
ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

Walking up the steps to Rodrigues, you can usually guess the activities going on inside the small, eclectic coffee house. During the week, you can find various students buying coffee or sitting at a table trying to finish up last-minute work. However, when Rodrigues hosts its numerous free concerts, the whole atmosphere changes.

This past Friday, Jan. 31, Rodrigues had one of its first concerts of the semester, featuring four bands, each with a different sound. As you walked in, it was dark but the makeshift stage lights were changing color in time to the beat of the music. Some members of Rodrigues were sitting behind the counter playing with the sound system, while others were mingling, waiting for the bands to start. With each band came a new crowd of people, but there were always a few familiar faces as the true music lovers stayed until the very end.

Most of the bands have played at Rodrigues before and have some type of connection to Fordham, including the first band to play, Tall & Flightless. Made up of four Fordham students, Quinn McGovern, FCRH ’16, Matt Hurley, FCRH ’14, Ben Kopon, FCRH ’14 and Oliver Beardsley, FCRH ’16, Tall & Flightless was an amazing start to a long night of music. Everyone in the crowd was participating with the band, either head bopping or dancing around. Their songs were intense, and seeing the audience singing along made the whole moment seem more intimate.

Doubting Thomas Cruise Control was the next group to perform. Referred to as Prague Rock, DTCC features Bobby Cardos on guitar and vocals, Sean Kelly on guitar, Chris Sprindis on bass and Joe McCarthy on drums and vocals. The band formed in September 2010 and some of its influences include Neptune Diner II, Sonny’s Tavern (PGH) and Doom House. This band was a lot of fun to watch, and the music seemed mellower than the previous group. You could listen to their songs on repeat and never get tired of their voices.

Both DTCC and the next band, Penrose, feature Fordham alumni. Penrose, a trio of brothers from Philadelphia, donned uniform black t-shirts and jeans as they took the stage. Dan Murphy was featured heavily on guitar, vocals and keyboard. Pat Murphy was on bass and Tom Murphy on drums. Penrose immediately energized the crowd. They sounded somewhat nostalgic and were fun to listen to.

The headlining band was Speedy Ortiz. Throughout the night, it was continuously referred to as “the greatest band to grace Rodrigues.” With Sadie Dupuis on guitar and vocal, Matt Robidoux on guitar, Mike Falcone on drums and Darl Ferm on bass, Speedy Ortiz rocked the stage. They had the largest crowd of the night, with everyone in the audience moving to the beat. Dupuis’ voice was unexpectedly unique, but it still had everyone going crazy. At one point, the crowd grew so large that a mosh started to form. The songs ended abruptly, always leaving the audience wanting more. Kaitlyn Flanagan, FCRH ’15, an elected board member at Rodrigues, was especially excited for Speedy Ortiz’s performance.

The show Friday night was awesome,” said Flanagan. “I really love Speedy Ortiz and the fact that DTCC and Penrose have connections to Fordham and to Rodrigues makes bringing them back even cooler.”

As the concert ended, everyone poured out of the coffee house, mingling in front to figure out their plans for the night.

These concerts are a regular occurrence at Rodrigues, but besides Rodrigues members and students who are more familiar with the Fordham music scene, not everyone knows about them. But when asked about their experience, everyone was extremely happy. Eve Ericsson, FCRH ’17, has not gone to many other Rodrigues concerts, but after the performances that night she was even more excited for the rest of the semester’s shows.

“It’s really cool that they feature bands from Fordham because I feel that it’s very important to have the arts involved,” said Ericsson. “Rose Hill sometimes gets a bad reputation for not being artsy, but I’m really impressed by the music.”

“It’s exciting bringing a band in that I listen to, it’s like I live here and I don’t need to go into the city to see a show. The atmosphere is so intimate, I could have touched Sadie from Speedy Ortiz,” said Flanagan.

What more can someone ask for? At Rodrigues, you get a personal concert filled with awesome music and great friends, all within 50 feet of your room. And, the best part is that it is free. It is evident that for Rodrigues members, these concerts hold a special place in their hearts.