On Thursday, May 2, Woodside students flocked to the library to see Woodside’s very own 199 Records perform for their first “Tiny Desk” concert. From fifth period through lunch, the sweet sounds of live music filled the library. Thanks to a collaborative effort by the musicians, audio crew and film crew from Woodside’s audio production and film classes, the “Tiny Desk” concert created an intimate, cozy and relaxed atmosphere for both the performers and audience.
199 Records played their entire eight-song set list using small groups of performers, opening the set with a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie.” An iconic soul pop song of the 2000s, a strong voice would be needed to accurately cover Winehouse’s voice. Luckily, with freshman Lauren Deister’s energy and emotion on the microphone, as well as a strong supporting cast from the band behind her, “Valerie” proved to be a strong opener for the “Tiny Desk.”
As many performers would go on to explain, the songs performers chose weren’t just for their auditory appeal; songs like “Valerie” hold their own personal connection to some of the performers.
“I wanted to [sing “Valerie”] because it was for my aunt, because her name is Valerie, and my Mom wanted me to,” Deister said.
Following Deister’s cover of “Valerie,” junior Kathy Morales took the mic and performed a cover of “Tu Falta De Querer” by Mon Laferte. Morales’s cover was full of fun elements, while still maintaining the original song’s slightly mystical vibe. Morales’ performance also stood out for being the only song performed in Spanish.
“All of the songs are in English. So we wanted something different, and I tend to be better [at] singing in Spanish,” Morales said.
Morales’ cover offered a nice change of scenery compared to the opener. More laid back and relaxed, it really made the audience feel more at home.
Following this relaxed vibe, 199 Records played their third song, a cover of “Vienna” by Billy Joel. “Vienna” is a timeless masterpiece, a metaphor for embracing older age. 199 Records accurately covered every angle and element of the song. The band meshed together extremely well to create an incredible performance.
The group continued their strong series of performances with a cover of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Like the previous song, this timeless piece created a strong emotional connection between the audience and the performers.
“We chose ‘Dreams’ and ‘Vienna’ for their awesome emotional connection, and also because it was a really good fit for the singer’s vocal range,” junior Gryffin Jones said. “And overall, those are two very fun songs to play.”
But in order to make sure the concert was a success, lots of planning and preparation were needed. Technical preparation was needed from both the sound and film crew, and for the performers, making sure they felt ready to perform was another factor.
“Because we have five groups [of performers], we have a lot of people that are playing the songs. So it took a lot of scheduling and a lot of time outside of class during lunch and tutorials to practice and play,” senior Kash Hodges said.
While the preparation process may have been long hard work with its own hurdles, the reward of a successful concert makes it all worth it in the end.
“Playing with people gets you closer to them, and playing in front of others too is a type of experience that you have with other people that really gets you closer together,” senior Arthur Renard said. “You go through this thing together, so you’re closer in the end, it’s an awesome experience.”
The concert continued with a cover of The Crawlers’ “Come Over Again.” For this cover, the group maintained the laid-back rock theme while having the drums and guitar take up more of the space. Directly after this, the group covered Hozier’s “De Selby (Part 2).”
199 Records was able to impressively maintain the original elements of the songs they covered while still adding their own unique spin and take on the covers. Performers added their own solos and improvisations.
“The first run through, I was a little bit nervous, I didn’t do that much improvising or soloing, but the second run through, I was a lot more comfortable,” Renard said.
Finally, the group closes out with an original song, “Sour,” written and produced by 199 Records themselves. A song that follows the laid-back rock theme, 199 Records was able to show off their musical abilities one last time and also display their own songwriting as young musicians.
“Our last song we do, we’re really cracked, so it sounds really good. It’s really on beat and we’re all really tight,” Renard said. “We wanted to end the show with a bang.”
