by Matt Carney ’14

As much as I enjoy studio recordings and professionally produced songs, nothing compares to the energy and emotion of a live performance. The interaction between audience and performer deepens the experience and adds greatly to the music. It’s a connection that’s not always easy to accomplish, but the Widdigers and Caterwaulers did a wonderful job of it in their Coffee House performance before spring break.

Their choice of songs helped. Ranging from The Beatles to Coldplay to John Mayer, the list was familiar but not overly so, and the arrangements made them new. Especially memorable was “Blackbird,” by The Beatles, performed by Molly, Emily, Liz, and Sonia. It’s an incredibly difficult song to sing, but the girls handled it beautifully. In addition to the lead vocals their performance included supportive harmonies and a subtle — but important — guitar accompaniment.

Also strong were renditions of “Not Over You,” (Gavin DeGraw) by Sabina, Molly, Liz and Sonia, once again accompanied by beautiful guitar and piano arrangements, and Whitney Houston’s “My Love is Your Love,” performed by all of the Widdigers. One of my favorite performances was a medley sung by Natalie, Emily, and Emily that included “Fix You,” by Coldplay, “Use Somebody,” by Kings of Leon, “Heartbreak Warfare,” by John Mayer, and “Wonderwall,” by Oasis. The songs blended perfectly and made for a fantastic combination.

My favorite performance of the night was a cover of “Bleeding Out,” by Imagine Dragons done by Ursa and Julia. Their voices blended beautifully with the guitar and piano and they sang the song like they’d written it. Successfully singing and playing an instrument simultaneously made their performance even more impressive. Their cover was as good as the original, and, to my ears, even better.

The night closed with the Widdigers and Caterwaulers collaborating on a cover of “Some Nights,” by Fun, and their song choice could not have been better. “Some Nights” has a tremendous sound, which makes it perfect for a finale, and was particularly befitting to showcase the group’s vocal teamwork.

I am incredibly grateful to the Caterwaulers and Widdigers for performing on Friday. I have an extraordinary amount of respect for anyone that has the bravery to allow something that they have put endless hours of practice into to be judged by an audience. We hear songs like these often, but nothing compares to hearing them done live — and done well, and the Cauterwaulers and Widdigers did exactly that.