Students may remember musicians coming to Asbury for Coffee and Canvas last fall. After a successful first year, the Coffee and Canvas series is back this Friday, Nov. 8.
Held at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center, the event will feature indie musician Jordan Searcy, who performed on “The Voice.”
Searcy was coached by Pharrell Williams on “The Voice” in 2014, and after leaving, he moved to Nashville to pursue singing and songwriting. He released a number of singles in recent years, a seven-song EP in 2018 and will release an album later this year.
According to his website, Searcy’s music is known for being “authentic, original music driven by his faith, emotional depth and his intrinsic desire to connect with an audience.” He has performed over 150 shows per year nation-wide.
Senior Sydney Scheller, chair of the concert committee in Asbury Student Congress, knew about Searcy from “The Voice” and thought he would be a great fit for this event.
“I love everything about him: his vibe, his music, his personality, his theology,” Scheller said. “Outside of the fact that I’d heard whispers of students on campus being interested in Jordy’s music, I also have a standard for artists that I bring to campus, and Jordy definitely meets that standard.”
The event will also have free coffee and painting for attendees. Scheller said the painting aspect of the event is a way for students to celebrate all forms of art.
“We wanted to give students an opportunity to participate in the concert by responding by making their own art,” Scheller said.
Coffee and Canvas started in fall 2018, and while Scheller expected around 70 students to show up for the first event, attendance was almost double that. It was one of the biggest events of the fall.
Scheller said she picks musicians based on what students are interested in and usually looks in the indie/acoustic pop scene for local artists.
“It is a joy to bring someone like Jordy Searcy to Asbury because I know Jordy and Asbury will love each other,” said Scheller.
Searcy will be performing acoustic on the map side of the Student Center and will hang around after the show to converse with students.
