Former Algonquin student, TJ Morrison, 30, performed at the AC Hub in the Student Commons during the Wind Down Friday: Get Zen event on Friday, Jan. 31.
The event, which also featured board games, bracelet making and colouring, was in support of Mental Health Awareness Week for students.
Morrison was born in Ottawa and is currently playing at least five shows a week at local bars and pubs. “I love Ottawa,” Morrison said. “I’m pretty happy here and it’s pretty cool to be playing back here.”
He enjoyed the opportunity to play for Wind Down Friday because he likes to take advantage of practicing songs that he doesn’t usually get to play at his regular shows.
Morrison performed a “coffee shop version” of popular songs for a room full of Algonquin students.
“He’s got some classic coffee house music and I really enjoy that,” said Josee Leclair, 21, a professional writing student. “I quite enjoy music performances. I’ve been to a few Wind Down Fridays and I really enjoy the vibe.”
Muriel Morin, 24, a business administration student agrees.
“It’s good vibe music,” she said. “You can still work and have some nice background music. I like studying up here, it’s a chill space.”
Morin and her friend Sara Bryan, 34, also a business administration student at Algonquin, heard Morrison was performing and came right to the AC Hub to hear the performance. “TJ and I are friends, we saw he was performing and I wanted to bring her [Morin] to come and see TJ sing,” Bryan said.
Morrison, who’d like to tour eventually, didn’t disappoint his audience.
“I do a little bit of everything,” Morrison said. “I like taking the challenge of taking a heavier song and altering it to the environment.”