As an incoming freshman at Bates, I was very excited to experience all that the campus had to offer. However, I had no idea about the Village Club Series (or the VCS, as it’s affectionately called by the community), a group of events held every Thursday showcasing various talents from around the country. For the first event of the year, the energy was fantastic. Upon entering the breathtaking Benjamin Mays Center, I was greeted by two members of the VCS team who directed me inside the building.
Once inside, the normally clinically lit room had warm mood lighting accompanied by soft music. Complimentary drinks and snacks were provided to bring back to my table, arranged in a jazz club style. The entire room buzzed with the sound of happy conversation by eager audience members which completed the atmosphere, which promptly quieted at 9:06 p.m.
The spotlight shone brightly in the front of the room as the VCS managers introduced themselves. The team was passionate about the show and excited to set off the year with such an amazing artist, Mel Chanté, an extremely talented spoken word artist with skin in the game. She started her writing career as a child in elementary school and since then, she has released an EP (Flo), a poetry book (Brown Butter) and done numerous live shows and podcasts. With such an expansive resumé, one would expect quite a show—and Mel did not disappoint.
After a very human and, quite frankly, shy greeting, Mel took the audience’s attention by force. Her first seven tracks were a cappella, her voice the only instrument at play. She was loud, powerful and passionate. She spoke of Black power, positivity and most importantly, love. Mel made it clear to the audience that love is her favorite subject, whether that be self-love, romantic or divine. No matter the theme, Mel’s performance put her listeners directly into her stories.
The audience could see a utopia, taste a perfect tea, smell the inner-city air and feel a lover’s touch on your skin. Her lived experiences, portrayed through spoken word, create an art not many can replicate. Upon the end of her seventh piece, “Unplugged,” the music section of the show began.
While Mel Chanté already was a force to be reckoned with in front of the mic, background tracks added an entirely new dimension to her art. The beats ranged from smooth piano-based R&B to 90’s style boom-bap Hip-Hop, all enhancing the associated poetry. My personal favorite piece of the evening came in the form of “Power,” a piano-backed track declaring that black power is not a trend or a hashtag, but a way of life not to be trifled with. As a POC poet myself, this especially spoke to me. However, there was truly a piece for everyone—regardless of identity.
At exactly 10:10 p.m., the show concluded, and Mel gave her final remarks (as well as plugging her website https://melchante.com/about, and her Instagram @melchante). All in all, the first VCS event of the year was a thrilling success! While this article could’ve served as a breakdown of her poetry, I believe it would have been a disservice to her art as a whole. It is best experienced with one’s own two eyes, or ears, to truly feel the emotion being presented. Luckily enough, everyone can do just that via her website, Instagram, YouTube or on any music streaming platform. With such a strong first outing, I personally cannot wait to see what comes next from the Village Club Series!
