A large crowd gathered in the Curb Café on Jan. 16 to watch Belmont faculty and staff showcase their musical abilities in the Faculty/Staff Talent Show.

The Student Leadership Council organized the event both to entertain and to “connect the music business students to the faculty,“ said SLC sophomore representative Chase Misenheimer.

Assistant professor of music business James Elliot kicked off the show with two acoustic songs, the first a song of heartache and the second a tribute to his daughter, Sophia.

Following Elliot, a band of six faculty members took the stage, fronted by lead vocalist and Mike Curb College Advising Center Director Tina Dishman.    When Dishman joked that the band was taking tips, an audience member retorted that the band should keep their day jobs.

“I’ll remember that when I’m advising ya’ll,” Dishman quipped.

Anita O’Dell, intern and career development coordinator for the Mike Curb College, provided accompanying vocals on the band’s first song, the Christian piece “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.”

The band closed their set with Tracy Chapman’s soulful “Give Me One Reason,” which gave Dishman a chance to showcase her powerful vocals.

Following the first faculty band was Sarah Cates, strategic programs director for the Mike Curb College. Accompanied by her husband on guitar, Cates sang a self-proclaimed “angry girl song” about getting together with girlfriends and forgetting about ex-boyfriends who did them wrong.

After Cates, a new faculty band took the stage.

“Thanks for not throwing anything in advance,” said Mark Volman, coordinator of the entertainment industry studies program and lead singer of the band.

With three acoustic guitars and three-part harmony, the band covered The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night,” “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “Yellow Submarine,” complete with Volman’s own submarine noises.

The band’s last Beatles cover was “Twist and Shout,” which received the most enthusiastic audience reaction of the night, with several audience members getting up to dance.

“It was great seeing the kids in the Curb Café dancing on the tables to songs made before they were born,” said Volman.

At the insistence of the audience, the band closed their set with “Happy Together,” a song written by Volman while in his band, The Turtles. The performance received a standing ovation.

The Student Leadership Council was pleased with the outcome of the show.

“It went absolutely way beyond our expectations for tonight,” said Misenheimer.  “Definitely a success.”

And many audience members appreciated listening to the music of an older generation.

“I thought it really brought back the vibe of the 1960s with the communal singing,” said freshman Miles Lowenfield.

The Faculty/Staff Talent Show featured several other faculty musicians including Rush Hicks, assistant professor in the Mike Curb College and Dr. Wesley Bulla, dean of the Mike Curb College, who played drums.

Mike Curb College Instructor Dan Wujcik played piano, and Assistant Professor David Tough played bass.