Every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Iona students are free from the burden of classes from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m.

Many students take advantage of this activity hour by getting lunch at Vitanza Commons in Spellman Hall. The students who used their free hour for this purpose on Jan. 22 not only enjoyed lunch, but a show as well.

The Ballroom Thieves, whose music is a mix of alternative, folk and pop, came to Iona from Boston, M.A. They have performed at over 30 colleges in the past year. This trio features Martin Early who plays the guitar, Devin Mauch on percussion and Rachel Gawell who plays the cello.

“The band was here last year, and everyone liked them,” said senior Michelle Rosenbrock, the Publicity Chair of GAB. “They got a good response so we decided to bring them back,” she said.

The Ballroom Thieves played a variety of folksy and alternative songs that are available on their album “The Devil & the Deep,” which was available in Spellman for $5.00. These original songs included titles like “Down by the River,” “Wait for the Water” and “Lose Lips.” All of their songs had a lot of rhythm even though some were slower and softer than others.

The band performed a Michael Jackson tribute in the middle of their show. They covered the three songs “Billy Jean,” “Black and White” and “I Want You Back.” The Ballroom Thieves took the original pop songs and made them much more folksy and calm.

It was clear that this was not the first time they had performed. All three members jumped right into their music. After each song, they conversed a little bit with the audience and introduced the next song.

The band had a lot of raw energy. They had rhythm and soul present in their music and performance. While students were eating their lunches and conversing among each other, there was a lot of toe tapping and head bobbing following the beat of the songs.

“I like this kind of music,” said sophomore Rebecca Iannetta, “it was cool that they had them play during lunch. It gave Spellman a cafe kind of vibe.”

With the semester still at its start, students are adjusting to their new schedules and figuring out how to enjoy their free time. Students seemed to appreciate the extra spirit that was in Spellman when The Ballroom Thieves were performing. It made the activity hour a little more enjoyable.