Never before has more love been felt in Jack McGee's Pub than at "Heart's for Haiti," Bowdoin Musical Collective's (BMC) all-acoustic fundraising concert last Saturday.
The pub was packed for the event, with students filling the space to the brim for the show, sitting in chairs and booths on both levels, layering onto couches and spilling onto the floor. The show offered the perfect means of kicking off Haiti Week. Beyond raising over $700 through open donations given willingly by students throughout the event, it also brought students together in a collective effort to support Haiti relief efforts.
Co-President of the BMC Nyle Usmani '12 said that he came up with the idea about 10 days before they put it on and thought it would be the perfect event to kick off Haiti Week. He then collaborated with Co-President Mikel McCavana '12 and they began working to get the performance to happen.
Usmani said he had a lot of support from performers and volunteers, who spent a total of about six hours making approximately 1,000 handmade invitations, which later served as dedications to go along with donations to Partners in Health. According to Usmani, Kyle Dempsey '11 was active in helping the BMC decide which charity to donate to. They chose Partners in Health because it is the most efficient organization in getting financial resources into the hands of those who need it most.
"We are so excited because the $700 we made is being matched by a donor, so in essence we raised about $1,400 for Haiti on Saturday, and I think that means we raised more money than any other event this week," Usmani said.
Usmani credits the number of donations and the huge turnout to Bowdoin students' desire to make a difference and to support their peers. "Hearts for Haiti" was the second major event put on by the BMC, the first being their showcase concert on December 4, which also managed to fill the pub.
"Mikel and I were talking last semester and were like, we want something new—no one goes to the pub performances when there is live music. Why is a capella so popular? Because Bowdoin kids like to support their friends," Usmani said.
Indeed, Saturday's concert offered an opportunity for Bowdoin students to give back to Haiti and to support Bowdoin's musical talent.
The roster included those who Usmani deemed "the acoustic heavyweights" at Bowdoin: Hassan Muhammad '10, Emily Schonberg '10, Louis Weeks '11, Malachi Graham '12, Mccavana and a lot of "new names that are entering into the mix, like Laura Kerry '12 and Tom Ryan '12, and even the new band "Call It The Truth," comprised of Mccavana, Vice President of the BMC Nate Joseph '13, drummer Fhiwa Ndou '13, and vocalist Jus Foster '11, according to Usnami.
Faces of respect and amazement were common sight throughout the night, as each performance inspired its own kind of wonder throughout the crowd. The evening's good energy was inescapable—nothing but soulful music, dancing, singing and camaraderie. Of all the performances of the night, however, a few stood out in particular.
"I loved Emily Schonberg's performance," said a fellow performer. "I thought her use of the looping pedal was incredible—and it was just a really great end to the night."
McCavana agreed.
"It takes an incredible amount of rhythmic precision, and she did some amazing vocal layering," he said.
Emily Schonberg also collaborated with Hassan Muhammad for the second time this year, a performance that elicited a lot of praise and which Usmani deemed his favorite of the night.
"Emily and Hassan did this song together called 'Breakfast Tea', and I told Hassan that if him and Emily do not record that and present it to the rest of the world, they are withholding a beautiful thing from all of us," said McCavana. "I think that was the most amazing live show I've ever seen at Bowdoin."
The positive response to the "Hearts for Haiti" event is a confirmation that Bowdoin has an incredibly talented student body, and that the College has been lacking venues and opportunities for these artists to come together and share their brilliance. The BMC was created this year with the purpose of bringing Bowdoin musicians together to support one another and make live music a more central component of Bowdoin's social life.
"Before we formed the BMC, musicians came to Bowdoin and found no one to support them or help them out. So we were like, well, why don't we start a network of student musicians? They can advertise each other's shows and reap mutual benefits," Usmani said. "We were hoping that by presenting student bands to the general campus that we could make a real social dent and make a real difference."
The success of both the "Hearts for Haiti" concert and the December 4 showcase are testaments to the Bowdoin student body's craving for more opportunities to see their peers perform and to have a chance to gather and watch live music.
"The one comment I keep getting after these shows is, 'I didn't know our student body had that much talent,' and it's awesome that we can show everyone," Usmani said. "BMC is more than just this organization in a back smoky newsroom somewhere. We are totally transparent about everything we're doing, and because [the organization is] so young, everyone who is participating is active in every step of everything we do."
The BMC, which meets every Wednesday night in the conference room of Smith Union, has big plans for the future. They have been talking with Residential Life about integrating the BMC and Bowdoin performers into College House life.
Already, Quinby House and the BMC are working to start up a series called "Qd-Up" which is going to showcase live music alongside house parties at Quinby. Milkman's Union and Call It The Truth perform at Quinby this Saturday, and Reed House has also contacted the BMC about bringing live music to their house. Milkman's Union plans to have one show at every College House before the end of this semester, forging connections across campus.
Saturday's "Hearts for Haiti" show was all about forming these connections—connections between musicians, between music lovers and the general student body, and between the Bowdoin campus and the situation in Haiti.
It was an evening reflective of the BMC's mission: one of reverence for the talent at Bowdoin and the importance of sharing that talent with one another and, on a broader level, with those beyond the limits of the campus.
"We received one dedication during 'Hearts for Haiti' that said, 'More live shows at Bowdoin, Thank you BMC,'" Usmani said. "Musicians have been telling me, 'this year would not have been the same if BMC didn't exist. I have a chance to be more than just a student but an artist, because there's something here for me.' And that is a beautiful thing."