Last spring, Tica Douglas '10 and Ryan Dieringer '09, who had been told by several mutual friends that they would get along well, began to play music with each other. Soon, the pair performed together for the first time at Lone Pine Tavern, under the band name The Making of San Bernadino.
The Making of San Bernadino played its last gig at Lone Pine on Thursday, May 7. The decision by Dartmouth Dining Services to close the restaurant last weekend as part of campus-wide budget cuts has perhaps the greatest implications for Douglas and her musical partner: there are few venues left to support the fledgling community of singer-songwriters on a campus where a cappella and musical theater reign supreme.
Douglas, who recorded her first album, "Ah Love Mahslef, Yup Yup" last summer and has one more currently in the works, has carved a special niche for herself in the Dartmouth music scene. Rather than following a path typical of Dartmouth musicians -- auditioning for an a cappella group, declaring a music major or competing in Dartmouth Idol -- Douglas and her soft, folksy yet energetic music have gained campus-wide recognition through performances at Lone Pine and some fortuitous word of mouth.
Although many students on campus know her name, Douglas said she would be surprised to hear herself referred to as a "music icon." Still, Douglas said that students she does not know will come up to her after a performance, or even at a party, to compliment her music.
Despite this campus acclaim, Douglas said that it was her experience on the religion department's foreign study program in Edinburgh, Scotland last fall that truly defined her as a musician.
"The confidence I gained by going abroad made these things -- playing and performing and writing songs -- a reality," Douglas said. "What just happened to me in Edinburgh, the fact that it became real in a totally different culture, away from anyone I knew, was great."
Douglas said she began playing her music at various open-microphone nights in Edinburgh soon after she arrived there. On October 30, Douglas stumbled upon Dr. Ruby's Musical Surgery, a music collective consisting of musicians and songwriters who play and perform together, allowing each individual to develop his or her own music with support from their peers.
"It's a whole network of people," Douglas explained. "Fans will come, musicians will come, and they'll sort of all play together, so bands are formed there. Everyone gets to know each other's music and love each other's music and build off each other."
Any songwriter is welcome to perform a song or two at Dr. Ruby's, Douglas said. But after that initial performance, musicians must wait for an invitation to return from Gavin Duvet, the man responsible for bookings. Douglas decided to try a few songs, and Duvet quickly invited her back.
Soon, Douglas formed a connection with two other Dr. Ruby's musicians and songwriters -- drummer Rossco Galloway and bassist Alistair McErlain -- and formed a band called The Olympics. Douglas continued playing with The Olympics for the duration of her FSP and then decided to stay for her following off term in the winter.
Douglas said her musical style changed during her time in Scotland.
"The [songs] from Dartmouth are very warm and happy. I'm enjoying my life. They're shades of red and yellow," Douglas said. "The Edinburgh tracks are shades of grey."
Dieringer attributes Douglas' change in style partially to a newfound confidence in her lyrical ability.
"Before, she would write much more concise songs," he said. "But now, she's stretching out. She's learning to trust her words and her ability to write prosey songs. Her songs really take you for a trip, a ride -- these stories they tell."
Douglas said that she had some apprehension leaving Edinburgh to return to Dartmouth in the spring.
"I expected it to be a hard musical transition to go from playing at pubs where there are tons of people back to the Dartmouth music scene, which is pretty much nonexistent. I was scared about that," Douglas said. "There are hardly any songwriters. And if there are songwriters, which there very well may be good ones, there's nowhere to play."
After a gig opening for the Friday Night Rock-sponsored concert by the Ponytails, Douglas said her worries were assuaged. She said it felt good to be back on campus, playing for some of her closest friends, including her musical partner, Dieringer; FNR director Sam Welch '10, who helped her record her first album and intends to work on the next one as well; and friends from Panarchy co-ed fraternity, where Douglas is a member.
Still, Douglas said that her life as a musician on campus is much more personal than it was back in Scotland. With the exception of her Lone Pine performances, Douglas said that she mostly plays and writes songs for herself. And now that Lone Pine has closed, there are even fewer venues for Douglas and Dieringer to share their music with the rest of campus.
Douglas said she will return to Edinburgh and Dr. Ruby's this summer to continue playing with The Olympics.
