Groovy bass lines. Harmonizing voices. Guitar riffs that bring a fresh take to a familiar song. If you’ve ever walked around the second floor of the Student Union (SU) in the late afternoons and heard people playing live music, then you might have encountered the UNLV Buskers’ Club.
The UNLV Buskers’ Club is a music club focused on performing live music for people to enjoy. It was founded last semester by President Nicklaus Yoo.
“There’s some music clubs on campus but not any focused on performing, so I wanted to create one for it,” said Yoo.
The club meets every Monday and Thursday on the second floor of the SU near the art gallery at 4 p.m. where members jam out together for hours.
“The jam sessions are really fun and I like helping the inexperienced people out,” said member Cole Henriques.
The club meets and plays music together, but members form themed subgroups amongst themselves as well. Some of the subgroups include a mariachi group and another that plays Japanese music, which Henriques is a part of.
Aside from creating music in a public space, Yoo and the club put on charity and goodwill performances for what Yoo calls “Music as Service.” Yoo stated that potential clients reach out to the club to request performances instead of the club having to seek them out itself.
This past Thursday, the club rehearsed for its performance at Opportunity Village. They played familiar hits like “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran and “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen. Spectators in the SU stopped to listen, with some even cheering for the performers.
Social media manager Danielle Aguon emphasized the bond created between the members during jam sessions and performances. She recalled one of her favorite club memories leading up to a winter holiday performance at Town Square, where she bonded with everyone after recently joining the club and being spontaneously selected for that gig.
After rehearsing for its performance, members kept rolling in to jam out an hour after the club meeting started. Students took turns performing. With each song, non-performing members bopped their heads to the beat or sang along and cheered for each other loudly.
Most of the members have been attending the meetings since the birth of the Buskers’ Club. Their familiarity with each other doesn’t isolate new members coming in; instead, their abundant friendliness creates a welcoming environment, easily making new members feel instantly included.
“If you just have a passion for music, you are welcome here,” said Ronnie Serquinia, another frequent member.
As the weather gets warmer, the Buskers’ Club can be found outside near the Pida Plaza stairs. To keep up with its performances, find them on Instagram @buskersclubunlv.
