Student and alumnus singer-songwriters to perform in Kerckhoff

The original version of this article and the headline that accompanied it both contained errors. See the bottom of the article for additional information.

The music from singer-songwriters will fill the air in Kerckhoff Coffee House on Monday night with acoustic sounds off their newest material.

This week’s installment of the Cultural Affairs Commission’s Kerckhoff Concert Series will feature fourth-year French student Josef Gordon and alumnus James Bunning in back-to-back sets.

Gordon will take the stage at 7 p.m. performing with a backing band. Gordon has previously co-licensed material under Universal Music for use in television such as “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Vampire Diaries.”

“My style is R&B-influenced; soul,” Gordon said. “I would definitively say it is more in the pop category in the sense that the songs are catchy and hooky, but the styling is R&B; flavored.”

Recently, Gordon and Clarence Jey, co-writer and producer of YouTube sensation “Friday” by Rebecca Black, have been working together on a single called “Give ‘N Take.” Gordon said they are currently in the process of producing the song’s music video.

Bunning will be taking the stage after Gordon at 8 p.m. Having written over 30 songs in the past year and a half, Bunning said that he is ready to get back out there and perform after a heavy writing period.

“I really like Kerckhoff because it’s intimate,” Bunning said. “My style is kind of like Fight of the Conchords went and had a beer with Jason Mraz.”

Both artists have performed locally, from apartments in Westwood to Kerckhoff Coffee House, as well as at notable off-campus venues in Hollywood.

“We’re playing at the House of Blues coming up in the next couple weeks,” Bunning said. “I’ve gotten some recording equipment, so we’re trying to record an EP, featuring songs that we will be playing on Monday.”

Bunning said that lately he has been playing a stripped-down, acoustic set, accompanied by Alexi Kaleas on piano, and Hannah Vally on the cajon and backup vocals.

“All of the sounds that we make are instruments being played lived, so there’s no pre-recorded stuff,” Kaleas said. “It will be an acoustic set and (Bunning) does vocals and guitars over our instrumentation.”

While at UCLA, Bunning performed at spots within the apartment area including the Treehouse and Midvale sessions, along with on-campus performances.

“Everything you do turns into something else,” Bunning said. “So, someone may see you at one show and say ‘How would you like to play this other show?’ We were able to play at the L.A. Fair after being noticed by a promoter at a Bruin Day performance.”

Gordon said he recently played a show at Treehouse in which he gained a new level of musical experience.

“I realized that the crowd was feeling the music and all, but I had this sudden revelation that I could control the audience,” Gordon said. “I started making choices that I knew would involve the audience with my performance and all of a sudden they were completely engaged.”

Gordon said that although Monday night’s show will be mellow in comparison to Treehouse performances, he will bring the same energy to students in Kerckhoff Coffee House.

“I love the idea of surprising a bunch of people who are in there studying who don’t expect music to be coming into their night,” Gordon said. “I look forward to making some new friends and fans all at the same time.”

Correction: Josef Gordon has not performed in Spring Sing.