The Hangovers will host the 21st annual Fall Tonic concert this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. in Bailey Hall.
The Hangovers are an all-male a capella group founded in 1968 as a subset of the Cornell Glee Club. The original members were mostly fifth year architecture and engineering students who were “hanging over” for an additional year. This, along with the more obvious connotation, explains the name of the group.
Being an all-male a capella group does have its advantages for The Hangovers. It enables them to concentrate on the rich tonal spectrum of the male voice. Therefore, they choose songs that will take advantage of their wonderful, distinctive sound.
The Hangovers recruit members by having performances for new students at the beginning of the school year and holding auditions every semester. All of the members of the group are also part of the Cornell Glee Club, which aids in the recruitment process.
Bill Meakem ’02 describes the group as a social fraternity of sorts that loves to make music, hang out, and travel together.
The group has just returned from a trip to St. Louis this past weekend, where they had two shows at Washington University and participated in the largest Arch Sing in the world at the Gateway Arch. A visit to Germany is also planned for this spring.
The Hangovers play an eclectic mix of music a capella, with covers of songs by artists ranging from The Monkees to Radiohead. The members of the group do all of their own arrangements and their sets vary greatly with each performance.
Saturday’s concert will feature 14 songs that have yet to be performed for a Cornell audience, as well as a raffle, with the prize being a private performance from the group (the winner chooses the time and place).
Their performances also consist of hilarious, original skits. Some of the group’s previous skits have included a spoof on The Blair Witch Project, Big Red Fairy Tales (Snow White and the Seven Hotelies, Goldie Locks and the Three Big Red Hockey Players) and the legendary “Cornell Girl” song. This performance will most likely include a skit based on the creation story.
Saturday’s performance will also include special appearances from the Tufts Amalgamates, who were well received last year when they played at Cornell with Cayuga’s Waiters, and the Smiffenpoofs, a talented female group from Smith College (guys who want to hear good music, but don’t only want to see an all-male group, take notice!)
The Hangovers also have a new album in the workings, a combination of old favorites and new material, with its release anticipated in early March. The group is planning performances for next semester, although none except their traditional night-before Slope Day show is currently scheduled.
Tickets for Saturday’s performance are currently available for $7 at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office and a few tickets will remain available for $8 at the door.
Tickets can also be ordered on The Hangovers’ new website, http://www.hangovers.com, which now accepts online credit card transactions (available through Friday afternoon). If you wish to see the group beforehand, they will also be hosting a table from 10:00am through 2:00pm in the lobby of Willard Straight Hall.
Be sure to come this Saturday for what is certain to be the most pleasant Hangover experience of your life!
Archived article by Louis Benowitz