Mocha, Music & More supports local businesses

Out of the 17 instruments WVUD DJ Michele McCann plays, she began with her favorite on Saturday night at Mocha, Music & More—the hurdy gurdy. 

During her performance, she explained the history of the instrument, which produces sound by a crank-turned wheel while melodies are played on its keyboard, and demonstrated how the droning of the hurdy gurdy can be used for percussion.

McCann took to the stage in Central Perk Café along with featured singer Mary Archer and comedian Bradford Paik as part of Mocha, Music & More event presented by Friends of Newark.

After the hurdy gurdy, McCann played a willow flute from the Netherlands and a boxwood clarinet from Germany, among a few other instruments. 

“I love world music,” she said. “All of the cultures find their way into my soul. Playing music from those cultures helps me express myself.”

Newark resident David Robertson said the event is hosted at the café on the third Friday of every month and welcomes artists of all types, including musicians, comedians, poets and magicians. To further aid the community, every Mocha, Music & More event includs a raffled door prize given by a local independent business, he said. Saturday’s prize was a pendant necklace from Village Imports Fair Trade Store.

Robertson said he was in charge of publicizing the event and scouting out new talent. 

“The goal is building a community and developing creativity,” he said. “It is quite wonderful to see the growth and development of an artist.”

The evening started off with a performance by Archer, who sang and played the guitar. Archer was accompanied by her husband, who backed her on bass and harmonica. The Fairhill, Md. couple started performing four years ago after taking a 20-year-long hiatus due to having children. 

Archer’s performance was followed by a stand-up comedy act by second year graduate student Bradford Paik. Paik said he has been doing comedy since his freshman year of college, although Saturday night was his second time performing at the cafe. While he may did not get as many laughs from the crowd as he had wanted, he said he considered the performance a success.

“I am used to performing in bars, so the audience here is not what I’m quite used to,” Paik said. “But that can be good. It can be cathartic to fail. I feel like I just had some exercise. But what matters is that some people laughed.”

Paik said his friend James Ley, a student at Wilmington Christian High School, came to watch him perform. Ley helped out in Paik’s comedy act by reading and singing with him. Ley said he had seen Paik do stand-up comedy before, but had never participated on stage.