History
In 23 years, Mixed Company has seen many dedicated members leave their mark on the group they loved. When internal conflict and artistic differences threatened to put an end to the young Mixed Co in 1991, Greg Martin and Molly McKenna recruited 14 new members, who proved to be an exceptionally committed and enthusiastic bunch, and the year culminated in the 1992 release of the acclaimed album “Unanimous,” which received three awards from the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) – runner up in the categories of best album, best arrangement, and best solo of the year.
Throughout the decade, ambitious and passionate young singers kept Mixed Company near the forefront of the collegiate a cappella scene, which was now exploding in popularity nationwide. The group adopted a more modern pop and rock repertoire, vocal percussion, and a distinctive musical style. Recognition from the community included awards and acclaim for the albums “Mean Say Love” (1996) and “The Other Side of Blue” (2000); strong performance in a cappella competitions including a trip to West Coast semifinals and awards for outstanding soloist and arrangements; and, of course, the consistently huge crowds of Stanford students that showed up to Love Sucks every February.
Mixed Company continues into the new millennium to work hard to entertain audiences and create exciting music. We delight audiences on our spring tours in places such as warm, sunny Hawaii, and warm, sunny New England, and we continue to record professional-quality albums to showcase our newest material. When older members must move on to other things, we’re always looking for an enthusiastic crop of young talent ready to take the reins. In 2004, a young group composed almost entirely of freshman and sophomores defied advice to take it slow and hold off on recording an album, and released “Tree Museum,” which garnered strong positive reviews from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB). Two years later, Mixed Co followed up with “Shades of Red,” our tenth album and the first ever to be recorded by the group on our own equipment, rather than in a studio. Mixed and mastered by a cappella engineer extraordinaire Bill Hare, it features a cutting-edge contemporary sound, an eclectic song selection and innovative arrangements. Each new wave of singers breathes new life into Mixed Company and explores new musical directions. All are motivated by the love they quickly develop for the longstanding tradition the group has become, and just how much it has meant to its members over the years.
For its nearly 200 members, Mixed Company has always been not only a creative outlet, but a tight-knit family of supporting and caring friends. This shows in the strong ties that many alumni maintain to the group long after they graduate. We sing arrangements penned by alumni; they come support us at our shows and buy each new CD; and many of them have remained close friends with each other. In the mid-1990s, a group of ex-Mixed Companions were determined enough to keep singing together that they founded Redshift, a semi-professional a cappella group based in Palo Alto that continues to perform to this day. A small handful of alums have even remained more than just close friends with the people they sang with; the first Mixed Co baby was born in 1998 to alumni Joseph and Kathleen Villa. Our 15th and 20th Anniversary Concerts have drawn dozens of alumni to Stanford to catch up, reminisce, and get up on stage to perform their favorite songs and skits.
In 22 years, we’ve changed a lot, and the Stanford a cappella scene has changed with us. Mixed Company seems to have started a popular trend, as there are now six co-ed a cappella groups on campus, out of nine groups total. Amid all this flurry of musical activity, Mixed Company continues to stand out as a unique Stanford tradition. We are distinguished by our eclectic pop and rock repertoire, our complex and interesting arrangements, our scandalous Love Sucks show and our signature colors of black, white, and a splash of red. But we feel that more than those things, we are distinguished by our love for the music we make and the people we make it with. We’ve all found some of our best friends and had some of our best college experiences in Mixed Company, and we wouldn’t give it up for anything. In the hope that we can share a bit of the magic, we invite you to peruse our web site, listen to sample clips of our music, and if you are a Stanford student, by all means, come audition!
