Local singer-songwriters came together to mesmerize audiences at University Grille on Aug. 29.

The event gave local musicians the opportunity to showcase their own material and talents.

This year’s performers included Aaron Daniel Gaul, Conner Fees and Chris Anselmi, Cody Wilt, JD and Cynthia Ross and Paul Stine and Rachel Messich.

All of the artists are from the Shippensburg community and many attended Shippensburg University.

Aaron Daniel Gaul, also known as ADG, kicked off the night’s performances.

He performed a song written for a bacon cook-off between friends and an instrumental written for his son.

Gaul is not new to writing music; he performed his song, “Spice,” which he wrote 20 years ago.

Along with performing at University Grille, Gaul performs at other various local and non-local events. His Facebook page has more information about his upcoming performances and his music.

Fees and Anselmi took the stage next. The duo performed original songs titled, “Come Home,” “Expectations,” and “Think of Me.”

Their set also included a song appropriately named, “Sinking Ships.” Fees and Anselmi’s performance gave the patio a warm homey feeling.

Returning to the University Grille to perform was Wilt. During his performance, he included what he called a “VH1 Behind the Scenes” bit where he described his style of music and what inspired his songs.

One of his first songs, called “99 Years” was written about a high school love lost. Wilt also talked about how Johnny Cash inspired his sound for the song. Before performing his song, “Cowboys Die,” he shared with the audience that the song is about his personal experience with a loved one’s death because of heroin.

He shared that writing the song was his own way of dealing with his loss. Many of the other songs in his set continued to be about his personal experiences and experiences that the audience could easily relate to. More about Wilt’s music can be found on SoundCloud.

As the night continued and the crowd at University Grille grew larger, JD and Cynthia Ross took the stage. The group, also known as Red Paint, incorporated various instruments into its set.

The crowd really enjoyed the duo’s individuality and the reggae/rock performance. The song “Face to Face,” reached the audience with a message about face-to-face communication in the digital world in which we live.

The group also performed the first song the band ever wrote. The song is titled, “Don’t You Cry” and is an emotional song that was written 32 years ago and has been passed down through their family ever since.

The last performers of the night were Stine and Messich. The group gave the patio an intimate performance and included their song “My Apology,” which they describe as a “bluesy” song.

Red Paint’s songs included messages that the audience could relate to, such as never giving up on your dreams, as their song “Don’t Give Up” suggests.

Their songs can also be found on SoundCloud. The performance included a song titled “Summer,” written about the end of summer, which appropriately wrapped up the last of University Grille’s summer showcases.

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