Krendel-Clark’s friends make up the group Rise Up Singing. Named after the 288-page songbook they play from, Rise Up meets every Wednesday night at 10:30 in the Murray-Dodge Cafe to sing folk songs and relax.
“You come there, play guitar, sing, drink tea, and it’s relaxing and kind of energizing, too,” said Sam Borchard ’10, the group’s leader and lead guitarist.
Rise Up Singing has an e-mail list of more than 70 people, and on average six to 10 people come on a given Wednesday, Borchard said.
The group was co-founded by Josh Blaine ’08, Brady Walkinshaw ’06 and Josh Schroeder ’03, when they discussed starting the group on a winter day in 2002.
“The next week [Schroeder] brought the book, and we brought the guitar,” Blaine said. “After that we started meeting every week because it was so fun.”
In 2007, when Blaine returned after taking time off from the University, he reintroduced the group to campus. Just as in 2002, the songs the group sings come from the Rise Up Singing songbook, which contains a variety of folk songs as well as some popular music from the ’60s and ’70s, Blaine said.
“Most of the songs are kind of obscure [ones] that you wouldn’t just know,” he said. That the songs are little known, Blaine said, adds an element of camaraderie to the group because “it forces you to learn the songs from someone who knows them.”
While the group has certain songs it sings and teaches to others on a regular basis, the group encourages newcomers to introduce new songs to the repertoire, Borchard said.
“We get into tracks, and some songs get popular,” he said. “But I try to mix it up.”
Last week, for instance, Tess Cecil-Cockwell ’08, a regular attendee, brought a Canadian paddling song called “Land of the Silver Birch” for the group to sing. She organized the members into two groups to start a round.
The group atmosphere of Rise Up provides a highly appealing type of musical outlet for some.
“A lot of people who are attracted [to Rise Up] don’t get the chance to practice music, but they really enjoy the unique environment where you can just show up and sit down, and it’s not really a performance,” Blaine said.
Though their gatherings are informal, some other Murray-Dodge patrons tend to mistake them for a group officially hired by the Cafe to provide entertainment.
Rise Up Singing does not formally coordinate with Murray-Dodge Cafe.
“I think [the Cafe] is really convenient, lots of students come to take a break from studying,” said Carlos Velez ’11, who works at Murray-Dodge. “[Rise Up] kind of does it in the same spirit — taking a break from studying.”
Eric Stern ’11 said that he was relaxing in the Cafe one evening when he grew curious about the group.
“I was in Murray-Dodge one night, and I heard this group of people singing,” Stern said. He joined them and now comes to Rise Up about twice a month. “I use it like a study break,” he added.
Julia Chapman ’09 said that she enjoys singing with the group so much that she still attends even when she has a lot to do.
“I realize that even when I have lots of work, I know I have to come to Rise Up,” Chapman said.
Likewise, Borchard said that he finds leading the Wednesday night meetings to be a refreshing way to spend his time.
“I usually come out of there feeling happy and ready to do whatever I have to do,” he said.
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