As Miscellania member Coretta King '12 would sing in her signature solo song "Hit the Road Jack," her group hit cities such as Washington D.C. and Portland, Maine, on its second Winter Break tour in a row.
Proudly brandishing its status as Bowdoin's oldest all-female a cappella group, Miscellania is a strong presence on Bowdoin's a cappella scene. Like many of Bowdoin's groups, Miscellania tries to go on a tour whenever possible.
Beginning its tour on Saturday, January 15, the group made its 2011 debut performance at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The John Hopkins' Octopodes, an all-male group, welcomed Miscellania for an informal concert. Next, the group traveled to Washington D.C. to perform at both Georgetown University and Catholic University. Catholic University's group, Take Note, hosted Miscellania, while The Georgetown Chimes welcomed the group for the second year in a row.
Miscellania musical director Eileen Palmer '11 noted that the group really enjoyed performing with The Chimes on its 2010 tour, and was eager to revisit the campus. As it moved Northward up the coast, Miscellania sang at a school in Greenwich, Conn., several schools and universities in Boston, The Portland Yacht Club and L.L. Bean, where they finished up with a fun and informal performance.
At Northeastern University, the group sang at the Save the Music Benefit, along with Northeastern's The Noreasters.
"Essentially, we went the same route as we went last year, but we didn't want to do the same things from last year to differentiate it," said Palmer. "We thought the best way to do that was by doing different types of gigs."
Despite the new types of acts, the group had to cross the same Northeastern terrain it crossed in 2010, when it ran into weather-related problems.
"We had a lot of dilemmas with the snow. [One night] we had sung with The Noreasters and we were supposed to have a gig the next day in Portland," said Miscellania's Business Manager Kathryn Savasuk '11.
"It was going to snow the next day, so we essentially decided that we were going to drive to Portland in the middle of the night to beat the snow," said Savasuk. "I think it worked out well having a small team of leadership."
Savasuk commended Bowdoin's readiness to help the group, when Miscellania had to spend an extra night in a hotel due to a snow storm.
"We were panicking a little bit because we really hadn't budgeted an extra night in a hotel and the meals that come along with that," said Palmer. "We called Christine Drasba from student activities, and she made sure that we would be able to stay."
Palmer and Savasuk agreed that their last stop at L.L. Bean was one of the most enjoyable, as the group performed clad in flannel and Bean boots rather than their traditional Miscellania garb of little black dresses.
Another Miscellania staple is its musical selections that make up its well-received set-lists.
"A lot of the [compliments] we receive from different groups at different schools have to do with our set list because they tell us that we do 'the girl's group thing right,' and that comes from choosing the right songs to do with a female group," said Savasuk. "I think we've gotten better in the last few years in maintaining that aspect while still diversifying our set."
The tour was financed by Miscellania's student account, consisting of both savings and profits from CD sales. As business manager, Savasuk had the prominent role in organizing the tour, booking the gigs, and contacting a cappella groups to stay with. Miscellania has consistently toured the Northeast out of convenience and because of financial constraints. Luckily, many of the group's members live in the Northeast, and can therefore provide places for the group to stay. The group experienced a significant shrinkage from spring 2010 to fall 2010, when five of its seniors graduated. This fall, and arduous audition process brought the group's number to nine.
"When we made the decision to be smaller this year with the number of freshman we were taking, we did it under the condition that we were all 100 percent committed to the group this year," said Savasuk. "It set a different tone than past years and it's made us a tighter group musically and in terms of friendship."
"I think that it's influenced our performance and music and I think that shows. When you feel like you're a bigger part of the group you feel more committed and more passionate," said Savasuk.