Night at the Meridian
The Meridian Coffee House is a student-run organisation that acts as a venue for the music and art scene at the College of William and Mary. Below is the account of Gavin Aquin Hernández and Carmen Honker’s first time experiencing live music at the venue during Homecoming Weekend 2019.
It was a dark, sullen, brisk evening in Williamsburg, Virginia. All through the night, alumni back for Homecoming Weekend pranced around campus, lollygagging about Jamestown and Richmond Road on their way to bars and other celebratory events. Down Boundary Street, faint music blares, and silhouettes of illuminated figures in dimly lit houses abound. One house sticks out. There’s music, but the sounds emanating from it aren’t the typical trance, house or dubstep: they’re acoustic. It’s the Meridian Coffee House.
JAMIE HOLT // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE
What exactly is Meridian Coffee House? The artsy types want you to believe that it’s whatever you want it to be — and they might as well be right. While some see it as a venue for budding musicians — local and regional talent — others see it as a community. Every weekend, students at the College of William and Mary come to this quaint locale in their quests for enjoyment, hoping to break the monotony of daily life as a student in Colonial Williamsburg.
“One house sticks out. There’s music, but the sounds emanating from it aren’t the typical trance, house or dubstep: they’re acoustic. It’s the Meridian Coffee House.”
The small white house, positioned just beyond the College’s colonial central campus, is adorned with four columns that hold the iconic front porch in place. After walking up the small brick path and set of stairs at the front of the house, you will step foot onto the porch. There’s a casual atmosphere outside stocked with students milling about in anticipation of the events. Once you arrive at the door, you’ll be asked for a couple dollars as an entry fee that will go towards a charitable cause. You’re told to “contribute what you can,” and upon dropping your change into the donation bucket, you’ll step across the threshold and enter the Meridian’s world.
JAMIE HOLT // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE
You’d be forgiven for being taken aback upon first entering in the house — it certainly has some bold design choices. We were immediately greeted by the sight of college students dancing to acoustic indie music, and the inside space is to be expected. Inside sits a dim, intimate central performance room with no seating so as to maximise viewing space, lit by minimal lamps and string lights. There are several side rooms, one for socialising and another in which the bands’ equipment are stored. As a cheeky aside, the quirky bathroom even has a house mannequin to keep you company.
When you make your way into the room directly to the right of the entrance you are greeted by a flamboyant display of unorthodox expression. Books, artwork, antique items — what seems like a random assortment of junk is a meaningful collection of artistic expression by the Meridian community. Most notably, and if you meet a Meridian staff member, they will show you a placard detailing the history of the building. Who could have imagined that a simple coffeehouse could be so storied?
Once you’ve taken a gander at all the house has to offer, it is probably time to relax until the first act begins. We nibbled on some Froot Loops in the main room and enjoyed the ambience of other Meridianites settling in. By yourself? Not a big deal; the other concertgoers seemed welcoming and sociable.
You’ll want to secure your place in the main performance space; find a comfortable spot in which you have a clear view of the stage area and take in your surroundings. The ambiance makes the experience. Twinkle lights frame the performance space and caricature drawings decorate the walls. The wood floors are evidently old and show their age through sponginess and creaky noises, but are charming nonetheless, unifying the rooms in the house.
The Meridian Coffee House is dedicated to being a safe space — something made very clear from the get-go. As communicated by staffers before the concert, the Meridian does not tolerate any discrimination, and anyone made uncomfortable would be helped by staff. Likewise, due to the ageing nature of the structure, there is no easy accessibility accommodation. However, Meridian staffers seek to help all visitors in any way they can. The most important rule though is no jumping, because the house could theoretically “cave in” at any second, so it’s better not to take the risk.
Since it was our first time at the Meridian, we had no idea what to expect from the acts. However, we were pleasantly surprised. For the night that we went, we got to experience DOT, Nervous Nothings and famed alumni group Talk to Plants.
A student duo, DOT, was first to take the stage. Their folksy, acoustic sound and relatable lyrics filled the room, as everyone in attendance methodically swayed along. The pair of voices fit comfortably together, and their set told a series of stories that resonated deeply with the college student audience. Additionally, many of the group’s friends were among the crowd, singing along and cheering loudly for their pals. We thought it was beautifully wholesome.
Visiting from Richmond, Virginia, Nervous Nothings is described as an emo indie band. Like other touring groups, Nervous Nothings received compensation for playing at the venue. Most notable was the presence of the band’s badass punk keyboardist. Normally we don’t “stan” emo/punk music, but needless to say, it was a pretty widespread sentiment in the room that we all thought she was cool — especially when she handed out band stickers. Nothing is a college student’s kryptonite quite like free promotional stickers.
JAMIE HOLT // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE
In between acts, there is time to escape the close quarters of the main room and take a load off outside on the front porch or yard. The Meridian staff and performers need time to transition from one act to the next, changing out the equipment and conducting brief sound checks. This time in between performers is the perfect opportunity to cool off outside and chat about the acts you have seen so far. There were people strewn across the front lawn and sidewalk, debriefing with the friends they came with or making conversation with new acquaintances from inside.
There was a decent amount of turnover between acts as well. Many chose only to stay for some of the opening performers and many more decided to come solely to see the main act of the night: Talk to Plants. As the time neared Talk to Plants’ scheduled time slot, the main room grew twice its size, seemingly expanding to somehow accommodate the surge in attendees. The lights turned green and the audience erupted as the final act of the night stormed the stage.
Described as an “herb-wave band with a mission to express creativity through sound waves,” Talk to Plants rocked the Meridian to its very fragile foundation. Despite their humble demeanour, they are very clearly a larger-than-life presence on our campus even months after graduating. Rather than going on a diatribe about how much we loved their music, we will instead tell you about what happened when we ended up in a corner of the room, immediately in front of the bathroom. When we said that the room swelled up to twice its size? Not hyperbole.
Little did we know, that just a few feet away from us, Talk to Plants member Samir Tawalare ‘19 had fallen hands first into a trash can. Although it is clearly a rock band aesthetic to be a little dirty, he was having none of that. He very politely rushed past us and into the bathroom to wash waste bin residue off his hands — but none of the other band members knew of his whereabouts. Of course, this led to a comical manhunt for Samir so that the set could start. Even though we knew where he was, it was entertaining to go along with the gag.
When the door finally opened and he waded through the crowd and onto the stage area, the room erupted into cheers as the music started playing. We’re still not quite sure where the energy in the room came from in the end, but it seemed as if the band and the audience fed off each other’s energy in an ultimately symbiotic relationship. For Talk to Plants, this comes to be one of their biggest strengths — not only can they carry a crowd. but they can feed off of it to create a dynamic, engaging show.
JAMIE HOLT // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE
“For Talk to Plants, this comes to be one of their biggest strengths — not only can they carry a crowd. but they can feed off of it to create a dynamic, engaging show.”
Unfortunately, all good things — even Meridian shows on Homecoming Weekend — must come to an end. When the set concluded, and the house began to spit out attendees one by one, the air was abuzz with talk of the performers and discussions of the favourite band of the night. On the walk back to Old Campus, we chatted about the experience, noting the overall pleasant vibe and commenting that this would definitely not be the last time we would visit the Meridian.