Warm string lights cast a soft glow over the Hive’s outdoor patio, as students filed into the space at 7 p.m. last Friday. They saw a small outdoor stage framed by rows of chairs on either side, while cobwebs and a giant fake spider added to the spooky Halloween atmosphere.
The Haunted Tiny Patio Concert, held on Oct. 24, was the second fall 2025 concert at the Hive this semester. These events invite student musicians to share their music in an open and welcoming environment, cheered on by friends and familiar faces.
Experience Designers at the Hive, Reese Roseback PO ’25 and Salina Munoz CM ’23, run the Tiny Patio Concerts in addition to their many other responsibilities. They describe the Hive as a creative, academic and collaborative maker space where anyone from the Claremont Colleges can design, work on academic and creative projects or learn new skills.
Tiny Patio began two years ago when the Hive’s sound box team was watching a NPR Tiny Desk video. Inspiration struck and they had a vision to recreate the concept at the Hive, and it did not disappoint.
“We didn’t know if anybody would be into it, but there were over 100 people who came to our first concert, and attendance has stayed consistent,” Roseback said. “The Tiny Patio Concerts are an example of students submitting their creative work and having an opportunity to showcase it in real time.”
Last Friday, the space was completely transformed from the bright, open studio students are used to. A large “Scream”-themed Haunted Tiny Patio poster hung on the wall, framed by bat and pumpkin garlands, while an elaborate spread of Halloween-themed food and drinks greeted attendees.
By the end of the night, the nearly empty boards made it clear that the charcuterie spread was a crowd favorite. Attendee Sunny Winn CM ’29 shared her love for the festive drinks.
“They had hot apple cider and the virgin sangria mix was very delicious,” she said.
At the beginning of the event, the Hive looked fairly empty. The back rows of chairs outside were empty and only a few people were gathered inside — maybe 20 attendees in total. Seats filled one by one, with people stopping to grab a themed snack before sliding into their spots. By the end of the night, the Tiny Patio concert was packed.
The concert opened with a performance from Salvator Peña Nissenblatt PO ’29, who played a cover of “Beauty” by The Shivers along with two original songs, “It’s a Long Way Home” and “Carly Simon.” During the first song Peña Nissenblatt’s nerves set in, but by the second song, something shifted — the eyes of the audience disappeared into the music, and the notes began to flow naturally.
Inspired by their dad’s guitar playing, Peña Nissenblatt’s style was poetic, rhythmic and folky. The original songs they shared are a blend of emotion and inspiration.
“Original songs are capsules of different moments of my life — like memories,” Peña Nissenblatt said. “Every time I play it, I go back to the time when I wrote it and relive all the memories attached to it.”
After attending the first Tiny Patio concert in September, they set their sights on the Hive stage. Peña Nissenblatt was surprised to discover that the Hive has an open sign-up for performers, something that they assumed would be highly competitive.
Next up, another solo-guitarist, Caiya Niewinski PO ’28, performed two original songs that stirred a visceral response in the audience with their haunting lyrics. The first, though untitled, carried a story that she shared briefly after finishing her song.
“This song is about being in love with someone who will always love alcohol more than being with you,” Niewinski said.
Her next song, “Ghost You,” was an equally heartbreaking and lyrically jarring piece — one that lingered long after the last note.
Niewinski was followed by Well Seasoned, the first band of the night, who shifted the mood completely: they swapped the soft, folky tones of the two guitarists for bass and raw intensity. Their set included three crowd-pleasing covers: “Bags” by Clairo, “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele and “Shallow” from “A Star is Born.” They also surprised the audience with an original song that showcased their unique sound and group chemistry.
Although they were introduced as Well Seasoned, the band later turned to the audience for help choosing a new name. When someone called out “You should be the Beatles,” the audience fell into a collective silence — half amusement, half second-hand embarrassment — before the lead singer broke the silence and quipped, “I think that’s already taken.”
Last but certainly not least, Willem Dafunk’d closed out the night with a riveting blend of funk and pop. The band of six came together in the beginning of this school year through a domino effect of mutual connections. Despite being a relatively new group, there was no sign of nervousness or hesitation onstage.
Drummer Emerson Laporta PO ’29 admitted that nerves were present at first, but said the group quickly gained confidence and eventually lost themselves in the music.
“When you get in the atmosphere of jamming with a bunch of your friends, it just flows,” Laporta said.
Their contagious energy radiated into the crowd — across the audience, smiles spread wide and heads nodded along to the rhythm. The excitement reached an all-time high as the band finished their last song, prompting the audience to burst into cheers and chants of “Encore!”
Willem Dafunk’d eventually gave in to the audience’s demands, on one condition: if they played another song, everyone had to get up and dance. And dance they did.
As “Teenage Dream” began, audience members felt a gravitational pull towards the dance floor. For those final six minutes, the performers stopped focusing on remembering the lyrics and the audience stopped caring about how they looked — everyone just let loose and danced.
Facebook Comments