‘This is home’: Old Rochester alumni returns with Harvard a capella group
Feb 4, 2023
Old Rochester Regional High School alumni Eddie Gonet, held center, returned to his old stomping grounds with a capella group the Harvard Krokodiloes on Saturday, Feb. 4. Photo by: Sawyer Smook-Pollitt
MATTAPOISETT — The Krokodiloes, Harvard University’s oldest a cappella group, took a break from their globe-trotting music tour to stop at Old Rochester Regional High School — and they brought a familiar face along with them.
The Kroks, as they’re affectionately called, played in Mattapoisett on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the behest of their member Eddie Gonet, an Old Rochester alumni, Fairhaven native and second semester economics student at Harvard.
Gonet, a new member of the Krokodiloes, was described as a “ball of energy,” by his fellow vocalists.
“We love Eddie,” said Christian Carson, a senior English student at Harvard. “Apparently the entire world seems to love him also.”
During their show, the 12-member Krokodiloes filled the stage with energy. They cracked jokes, acted out skits between songs and most importantly, they performed a repertoire of music from the “Great American Songbook and beyond.”
After Gonet’s first feature of the show, a duet singing “Me and My Shadow” with fellow Krok Jack Golden, the audience went wild — clapping and cheering Gonet’s name.
The below-freezing temperatures didn’t stop the Old Rochester auditorium from filling up with audience-members.
“In this weather, our community is looking forward to live music,” said Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Michael Devoll. “We needed this.”
The show went on to include a medley of Beatles songs and classic tunes like “Love Potion Number Nine,” “Danny Boy,” and “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.”
For Gonet, the Kroks — and their seasonal tours — gave him a chance to leave the “Tri-Town bubble.”
“I’ve never been anywhere outside of the East Coast,” he said. “It’s just so cool to go to the Midwest or California. It’s definitely a great opportunity. [I’ve made] a lot of memories along the way.”
During their most recent tour, the Krokodiloes performed in New York, Kansas City, Iowa, San Diego, Los Angeles and Jamaica.
But as good as those venues were, Gonet “absolutely loved” performing at Old Rochester.
“This is home and this will always be home,” he said. “It's just so nice seeing old faces — friends and family.”
