Ever since President Katherine Bergeron arrived at the College in January, her musical prowess has become somewhat of a legend on campus. During this year’s convocation, for example, she beautifully sang our school’s Alma Mater and blew the crowd away. On Oct. 9, President Bergeron took to the stage again, this time in a much less formal setting at the “Bergeron by the Barn” concert, hosted by Musicians Organized for Band Rights on Campus (MOBROC).
MOBROC president Caitlin Kullberg ’16 said, “We host open jams in the Barn at which all musicians are welcome. We also organize frequent open mics and music shows, and our bands often perform at events for other groups on campus.” To celebrate the recent renovation of the Barn – the building used as a practice space for student bands – students, faculty and parents gathered Thursday night for an evening of refreshments and great music.
The Sweatpant Boners opened the show, getting the audience pumped with their quirky mix of alternative and indie rock. A great deal of the quirkiness was due to the crowd favorite: the mustachioed, poncho-wearing French horn player, first-year Josh Hausman. It was clear that The SBs had a lot of fun on stage. All of the members seemed completely comfortable up there, which the audience appreciated.
Canopy followed suit with their cool alternative rock sound. Sophomore Haley Gowland and Senior Julia Hooker’s voices went well together, creating beautiful harmonies that really stood out in their cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You.” My favorite part was the last song in their set, a cover of Hozier’s haunting “Take Me to Church.” It’s a popular song to cover these days – Ed Sheeran recently performed his take on it for BBC Radio 1 – but Canopy was able to make their version really stand out. The combination of the heavy instrumentals and the ethereal vocals on top worked well.
Then came Montreal Protocol, a funk rock band that front man Drew André ’16 says plays everything “from Rolling Stones covers to Snoop Dogg.” The band as a whole had astounding stage presence, which is not easily accomplished. The audience clearly fed off of André’s confidence and talent. His voice had an amazing range and engaging energy that set him apart that night. And his falsetto? Whoa. I can’t decide whether he’s more Steven Tyler or JT, but he exudes the same kind of star power as they do.
When President Bergeron and her husband, saxophonist Butch Rovan, took the stage alongside Montreal Protocol, the audience went wild and began to chant “Bergeron” over and over. Bergeron took a few moments to praise MOBROC, saying it was “the coolest thing [she’d] ever heard,” and that it “doesn’t exist at any other place.” Before starting to sing “Jealous Man,” by Albert Collins, a song with the repeated line, “I’m a crazy ‘bout my baby,” the President set it up by saying, “This is a song out there for all you women. You will understand what I mean.” The crowd ate up every call and response and loved Rovan’s saxophone playing almost as much as they did Bergeron’s sass. This was not a President many had seen before, which is part of what made the event so special.
After this, they played “Caledonia,” another blues standard, and ended with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” The whole crowd was dancing. It was an incredible moment, especially for André, who said, “the crowd could not have been more excited … [they were] just vibing with us.” Working with the “power duo,” as he calls them, was “surreal and thrilling,” starting from when Rovan approached him asking if they could perform with Montreal Protocol, to the rehearsals and the concert itself. All of this is “just a glimpse of what’s to come with KB in charge,” André said.
The next MOBROC concert will be on Thursday, Oct. 30 in Coffee Grounds, where Kullberg expects four bands to play. •
