Oberlin’s Coverband Showcase is well-known as one of the most exciting events on campus. Each semester, groups audition for the opportunity to play four songs by a well-known artist in front of what sometimes appears to be the entire student body. Only about eight bands are chosen out of dozens of applicants. While the group’s talent is an important factor in being selected, the artist they cover is equally so.
This semester’s Showcase, featuring bands channeling Heart, Silk Sonic, Tyler the Creator, and more, will take place Saturday, April 18th at the ’Sco. Doors open at 9:30 for a start time of 10 p.m. I sat down with Celia Vaughn, whose band is performing as Amy Winehouse, to talk about what it takes to prepare and perform as an Oberlin Coverband.
Until two weeks before applications were due, Vaughn was planning to play guitar in a Strokes coverband alongside drummer Eva Molla and bassist Jamie Lewis — but then their singer dropped out due to his honors schedule. “So the band leader drops out, and then we’re all stuck, trying to brainstorm and figure it out,” Vaughn said. “Amy Winehouse is number one on Molla’s band list. I was like, ‘Let’s do Joan Jett, let’s do this person, let’s do that person.’ And then it was like, why not Amy?”
The next challenge was reworking the instrumentation to fit their new needs. They recruited Tommy Roddy-Johnson from the Conservatory to play keys and Max Newman to play saxophone. Vaughn said that a week out from the show, they’re still considering adding another horn and parts for one or two strings. “Trumpet or sax, it’s always part of Amy’s sound,” she said. Vaughn will play rhythm guitar on one or two songs, alongside lead guitarist Gian Ghai, who also joined the group after their last-minute pivot.
Coordinating the setlist posed another issue, especially with an artist whose discography is as accomplished as Winehouse’s. To open, the group decided on “He Can Only Hold Me,” — “one of her well-known songs, but not too much so,” explained Vaughn — followed by “Back to Black” to slow things down while getting the crowd even more riled up. For an “old pull,” they chose “Stronger than Me,” and of course, they “had to end with ‘Valerie’” — no further explanation needed.
With the departure of their original singer, Vaughn stepped into the role, one that presents an exciting challenge. “It’s a hard voice to perfectly emulate,” she acknowledged. To prepare, Vaughn, who’s been singing since she was five and performing since third grade, has a strict routine. She starts by writing all the lyrics out five to ten times, depending how much trouble she has remembering them. “I have a horrible memory, one of the worst memories ever in regards to words and lyrics. So I have to make sure I’m being very thorough.” After cementing lyrics into her brain and practicing along to the original recording, she plays the karaoke version on Youtube and sings along with her back to the lyrics.
Vaughn says the songs that are more lyrically complex are easier to remember. When asked which song she might slip up on, she admitted, “honestly, probably Valerie, because I would underestimate it. With ‘He Can Only Hold Her,’ everything is different — there’s not really a chorus, it’s just smooth throughout. ‘Back to Black’ is harder, but I’ll make sure I’m ready for it.”
Coverband is notoriously hard to get into — Vaughn noted that she’s auditioned twice before, as the Rolling Stones and Taylor Swift — and finally getting the opportunity to be a part of it at the end of her senior year is especially exciting. “When you get to the spring semester, there’s just so much excitement surrounding it. It becomes the talk of the town,” she said about the campus-wide hype that starts well before the setlist is announced.
Although amusing band names such as Sangria Bartender as Sabrina Carpenter are a highlight of the event, Vaughn said this is one of the least important steps for them. A week before the show, they still haven’t decided between “Amy on Drums” (Molla, even behind her drumset, could arguably be confused for the late singer herself) or “Amelia Wineheart.”
Despite all the last-minute changes and the challenge of building in practice time to a schedule that already includes running track and working a student job, Vaughn is optimistic. “I think we’ll get it down. I’m excited. … Singing is one of my favorite things to do. I never feel down on myself when doing performances. My body has stage fright, and sometimes I’ll forget a lyric, but the joys of performing outweigh the cons.”
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