Whingding opened with a set of five songs that showcased the Cords' versatility, ranging from "Closer" by Ne-Yo to "What You Own" from the musical "Rent." Each song featured talented soloists and impressive background blending.
"We wanted to perform classic Cords songs," Cords member Michael Zhu '14 said. "We also brought back some songs that were arranged by some '02s and '03s, and we debuted a couple of completely new arrangements. We've never done a set this big before, so it's a great chance to show off all of the talented voices that we have."
After the Cords' first set, Fifth Nation a duo created by artists King Julia and Musik Read took the stage. They first met on a Texas stage in the spring of 2009, releasing their first record later that year, according to the band's website. During the performance, King Julia announced that their second album would be released this year.
"We first found out about Fifth Nation through Rachel Richardson, who is a member of the Smiffenpoofs, an a cappella group at Smith College," Zhu said. "We perform with the Smiffenpoofs every year on our annual winter tour. King Julia is Rachel's sister, and we really liked their sound."
Fifth Nation impressed the audience with their energetic, angsty music and, during the song "In My Room," Read actually ran through the audience.
After a brief intermission, Whingding began again with a performance by SHEBA. The dance troupe added some variety to the show and performed three intensity-driven dance numbers.
The Cords then returned to the stage for their second set, featuring songs by Billy Joel, Garth Brooks and U2, which contrasted with their more pop-music oriented introduction.
"The second set had a more soft rock vibe, which I especially enjoyed," audience member Amelia Ritger '15 said.
After returning to campus from winter break, the group began preparing extensively for Whingding, according to Zhu. Typically, the Cords rehearse four times a week, but they met every day during the week prior to the performance to ensure that they had the music down perfectly, he said.
"We've learned about seven new songs since we got back on campus, and we performed them for the first time at Whingding," Sam Golini '15 said. "It was definitely a lot of work on top of midterms and everything, but everyone did a really great job of making the show a priority and coming to rehearsal. We've definitely gotten a lot done this winter, so it was great to perform for everyone."
Cords music director Monte Reed '12, who played an integral role in preparing the group for the show, said he works on the songs' intonation and sound quality, and he arranged one of the numbers for the show.
"As a group, we decide which songs we're going to perform for the show, and essentially, it is my job to make us sound good," Reed said. "I decide the order that we perform the songs, and I had a big hand in deciding to bring in Fifth Nation to play. Basically, I took on the role of artistic director of the show."
Funding and logistics for Whingding were organized by Sam Broer '14, who is the business manager of the Cords.
"I was in charge of managing all the expenses involved we are charged for using Spaulding, and we have to pay the band that we're bringing in," he said. "The Cords have an account with the College, and we've accumulated most of our funds though touring we get paid when we perform at alumni clubs and high schools. We also make money through ticket sales, T-shirt sales and CD sales."
In addition to the demanding rehearsal schedule, the group faced some organizational challenges, according to Broer.
"It was stressful for the leadership of the group because we had a lot of last minute cancellations," he said. "It really came together, though, and it was a lot of fun."
The last time the Cords hosted a show in Spaulding Auditorium was during the 2010 Spring term when they organized Spring Sing, an a cappella show that takes place during Green Key weekend.
"The Cords have a unique style of performing and sang a really varied selection of songs, so I had a good time listening to them," Ritger said. "I've also never seen a band like Fifth Nation their music is an interesting change of pace. And, of course, SHEBA is always awesome."
