“You wake up and realize you’re the little spoon for President Skorton…sigh…You Got a ‘C’!”
Confused? Any die-hard Hangovers fan would know that this is one of the many absurd lines you might have heard during the story interlude of their well-known original song, “You Gotta C.” But for those of you unfamiliar with The Hangovers’ antics, this club profile is for you.
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of catching up with The Hangovers, as they took a break from a long day of singing in preparation for their upcoming concert. The preformance Fall Tonic XXXI, this Saturday at 8pm in Bailey Hall. The Hangovers, or the “Hangs” as they are more affectionately known, are the official male subset of the Cornell Glee club. What does this mean other than double the amount of practice time? Members of The Hangovers have a strong choral background, which can only benefit any subsequent singing performance for the a capella group. When they aren’t busy being full time students, or practicing for over 10 hours a week, The Hangovers perform one to two concerts a week with venues ranging from arch sings, university functions, birthday parties, sorority Big-Little weeks, and even host workshops.
Upcoming musical tours include a winter break trip to California where they may or may not be singing their popular California Gurls/Tik Tok mash up, followed closely by a spring break trip to England and Scotland. They also look forward to their own Hangover’s retreat in the Adirondacks once a year. (“Magical things happen in the mountains,” member Sam Breslin ’12 said. “Uh, please don’t put that in the article” President of The Hangs, Dan Cloutier ’11, added).
So why are The Hangovers the best a capella group on campus? “We’re the sexiest,” Breslin stated. “We’re probably the shortest?” Jon Kaufman added quietly. But what they lack in height they make up for in a wide musical repertoire. While other groups tend to go for a very specific genre. “We’re doing Michael Jackson, Sting and Ke$ha” stated Kaufman. Another thing that sets them apart from the rest are their strong alumni relationships. Though most a capella groups have involved alumni who return year after year for concerts, The Hangoves often have upwards of 40-50 alumni attendees. “It’s always a big transition when people leave,” member Jordan Toth ’12 said, in regards to saying goodbye to senior Hangs.
Yet with the graduation of senior members also comes the induction of new members, and with it, many old traditions passed along to newer generations of Hangs. Every school year, at the start of the semester, The Hangovers hold a newbie arch sing to showcase their newest members. For the most part, the new members are put on the spot and given a surprise solo mid arch sing.
Another funny tradition that the group has is renaming new members. The tradition arose to save time while practicing. “If two members have the same name, you have to be able to address one specifically without any confusion,” President Dan Cloutier explained “When Dan Kurr got in the group, that was unreasonable, so we named him Calvin. But then we got a freshman Calvin, so we renamed him Bryce. So any Bryces on campus, please try out for The Hangovers.”
Many perks are associated with being a member of The Hangovers. Toth recalled walking on Ho Plaza and being asked “Hey you’re a Hangover, aren’t you!?” “It’s definitely a great feeling,” Toth said. Nothing boosts your ego like singing to a predominantly female audience either.
And now for the question that is on everyone’s mind: Who is the most hungover Hangover? According to the group, most likely their very own president, Cloutier. “Dan loves his scotch, scotch and keystone,” said Breslin. “Not mixed together though,” Cloutier clarified.
If you can’t wait until their concert this Saturday to see these boys live in action, they will also be having an alumni arch sing this coming Friday by Baker Flag pole on West Campus. Want even more from The Hangovers than their concert this Saturday? If you’re looking for a hot date, The Hangovers will be raffling off a “really, really sick and expensive date”: a Hangover of the winner’s choice. How could you say no to that?
Original Author: Ariella Weintraub