Peirce Lawn (Bitter Water)

I've heard plenty of music played on Peirce lawn before, mostly informally. This year in particular, it was one of the only prominent social spaces for students because it was outdoors, and easily accessible for all students, even during quiet periods when we weren't allowed to eat inside Peirce itself. Especially at the beginning of the semester, students gathered on the lawn to eat and relax with their friends since eating indoors together wasn't an option. You could watch a wave of students roll in and out at mealtimes in August. Because of its vitality in preserving Kenyon's social scene, I thought it would be a great place to continue my experiment in acoustics.

I chose the song "Bitter Water," another song by the Oh Hellos (I tend to listen to a lot more folk songs while I'm at Kenyon) because I had listened to it a lot walking down Middle Path on the south side of campus last year, especially when I was in a particularly good mood. This year, Peirce lawn was that space of positivity, both for myself and others. The song is quite bouncy, and the lyrics themselves are playful. It begs to be played outside for a group. Maybe it's because of the big chorus section in the middle, which I could only imitate in the slightest with my single voice, or because the choruses are often layered, being sung by many voices at the same time. The wind features prominently in this recording, quieting my own sound, but bringing out a really interesting ringing tone from my ukulele that almost sounds like another voice. I've never heard it do that before, and I don't know what caused it here, but I thought it fitting that nature tried to duet my playing. It's social, and so is Peirce lawn. Both represent spaces of gathering.

Though acoustically, Peirce lawn is more or less the same as Middle Path, the timing and the social implications of those spaces make all the difference. I played here during the day, whereas I played on Middle Path at night. During the day, Peirce lawn is a gathering space, and what better place for a concert than one where people are likely to gather? It's an easily accessible spot that's already crucial to campus life, and there's plenty of space. I think an informal concert would be fitting here, especially this year. People often say that music brings us together, as cliché as it is, so especially in a time where gatherings are limited and difficult, why not have a venue that brings people together to match?