ACB Event Review: ICCA Midwest Semifinal at Northwestern University

Brian Schmidt is the director of Lewis University Harmonic Uprising. Nick Thompson is a long time a cappella fanatic and alumnus of Ohio State University Marion and InChant. Please note that the opinions expressed in this review are solely from the minds of the authors, and are in no way representative of the views of either of their current or former groups on the whole.

The official event results, in addition to Brian and Nick’s final picks for the evening are available at the end of the review.

Brian: I walked into the Cahn Auditorium with high expectations of the evening. Perhaps it was the fact that this was going to be the “Best of the Midwest” when it comes to a cappella. Or the fact that a USC SoCal VoCal member had just sold me a ticket and handed me a program. Either way, I was excited for what was coming. There were 4 hanging condensers, and 4 handheld mics, 2 wireless (one with a cover on it for vocal percussion). Northwestern University Purple Haze was the host of the evening and opened the night with a medley which included “Never Gonna Get It” and “Free Your Mind.” It was a dynamic arrangement and the group performed it well, getting the crowd in to the a cappella mood. Jeff Konowitch came out and made the general announcements about the event and with that Purple Haze introduced the first group of the evening, the University of Illinois Xtension Chords. Imagine my surprise when the favored Xtension Chords found themselves in the first slot, a space which means almost certain death to ICCA dreams. But more on this later.

Nick: Over all I enjoyed the show. Being able to see the best of the Midwest, I was glad to make the drive to hear and see these amazing groups. I also attended the Midwest quarterfinal in Michigan just last month, and this was the second time the judges did not give out an award for best vocal percussionist. They chalked it up to be that no percussionist stood out and they all blended well with the groups. While I am glad they didn’t give out an award, I feel differently about why.
While I applaud anyone who wishes to learn the amazing spitting art of vocal percussion, it is one that, like so many other things, takes practice, practice and more practice –the more you do it, the better you get. This is not to forget the tried and true advice from so many of the professionals: work on being clear before you work on speed.
My personal thoughts about many of the percussionists were that, while they may have had the skill, it felt as if in all of the songs, one of two things occurred: either the VP did not match the song in terms of style, or the VP was more worried about speed than accuracy. I am wowed more by the precision of sound than I am with speed. Yes, it is great if you can spit out those 16th and 32nd notes and do cool drum rolls, but if it cannot be done accurately or in a style that matches the song, it greatly deters from the overall of the group, no matter how amazing the sound.
With that said, I still enjoyed the show. Each group had their ups and downs and while I for-saw other groups moving forward in the competition, the judges’ decisions stand.

Brian: The Xtension Chords performed a remarkable version of “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay to open their set and it was clear why they had scored so highly in their win of the quarterfinal at Missouri State. The choreography was crisp and the blend was fantastic. The soloist’s mic, and this was a consistent problem through the entire night, was soft and made him at times inaudible, not because the group was singing too loudly, but because they were mic’d louder. The arrangement was outstanding and then final chord flowed into the next song, “Coming Home” by John Legend. Even in these popular songs, the Xtension chords have a great sense for dynamics. The closing song, “Anna Molly” by Incubus was well accented by their choreography and this soloist was the strongest. Three well known songs performed extremely well.

Nick: Overall, I enjoyed “Viva La Vida.” I felt it was arranged well and the Xtension Chords really pulled it off. With the overall warming sound of the group, there were a few spots were the soloist became overpowered by the rest of the group. It did deter a bit from the lyrics but overall it did not hurt the song as it was soon forgotten with their smooth choreography and good use of dynamics. For the second song, the group again held their standard, though this song still had a few rough spots. It started out with a seemingly good soloist while the background blended well, but then things got a little shaky. The VP was a bit lacking in this one. I was not sure if it was a new member, or a mic issue, but something just didn’t feel right. The soloist had a good voice, but he lacked conviction to really move me in the song. The ending was warm, as to be expected with the Xtension Chords, though the audience was a bit hesitant at the end. Not their strongest number, but still good. “Anna Molly” was sort of like the second in that it had some rough parts but for different reasons. The VP was much more fitting this time, but could still have done better. The background sounded a bit forced but with the syllables being used, I was impressed. I cannot remember which syllable was being used, but the unison and clarity on them was pretty good for the intricacy. Again, everything was well choreographed and the group proved they enjoy what they do. I would like to see them fix some of the harsher background sounds that made it rather difficult so that the song chords could be better heard.

Brian: Michigan State University Capital Green took the stage next, walking out and forming an expanded curve formation with a soloist in the middle. Their first song was “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson. It was a safe arrangement, without a great deal embellishments on the actual song. They performed it cleanly and the soloist was solid through out. I was surprised to see the coed group using a female vocal percussionist for their first song, and she did a very nice job. They switched percussionists for their second song, as the previous one was now soloing in “Say (All I Need)” by One Republic. Here the group opted for a duet, male/female, and ended up being hurt by the softer solo mic. The harmonies between the two leads were not always clean, but they were also not always clear because of the sound system. The choreography here was much more prevalent than in the first piece, and even more so in their final piece, “Lolli Lolli by Three Six Mafia. Too my dismay, Cap Green sang the entire song. The background was true to the song, and it became tiresome extremely quickly. It was an interesting choice for a closer.
At this point, I’d like to mention that the two girls from Purple Haze who were introducing the groups seemed to be improvising every introduction. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. There is something to be said for a little preparation.

The next group was Missouri State University’s all-female group in the competition, A Cub Bella. They were the only all-female group in the competition. A soloist began “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, and was joined after a few bars by a small portion of the group. The harmonies in the song were very tight and the choreography was fittingly simple. Although the arrangement did not feel overly complex, it worked well and ended on a beautiful chord. Choreography started before the pitch was given for the next song, “One Step at a Time” by Jordin Sparks. The “basses” in the group did a very strong job throughout the set, especially in this song. Unfortunately, the blend was off in this song, especially during the bridge. The final song was “Misery Business” by Paramore. The soloist started very strong and then let me down in the choruses as she strained to try to mimic the sound of Paramore‘s lead singer. If a section of a song is rocky, usually the group is able to settle back into their comfort zone when they hit the chorus. I felt like A Cub Bella actually performed their final song the opposite way, coming together after the chorus and in the verses and losing each other in the chorus. They pulled it all together for the final chorus of the song, and very cleanly despite the more shaky sections.

Nick: Overall A Cub Bella was pretty good. The intro to “Over the Rainbow” had a strong soloist, and this slowly branched out into a full choral song. The break away was nice and without putting money on it, I am almost positive this was the same (if not extremely similar) version done by Celtic Woman. Toward the end the chords became rocky, but the group ended wonderfully on the right notes. When “One Step at a Time” started, I got pretty excited. My ears perked up with anticipation to hear one of my current favorite songs done by a group of female singers who seemingly had some talent, though this soon ended. The arrangement sounded pretty good from what I could hear and had a lot of potential; however for one reason or an other, it did not go very well for these Cubs. What started as a good intro, soon fell apart. I am not sure exactly what caused it to fall apart, but it got pretty rough. The soloist was a bit weak, and the chords did not feel supported. To me it felt empty, like the foundation of the chords were missing. With all of that said, I enjoyed the choreography and movement that went into it. I think if they restructured their parts a bit, it could be a great song in their favor. All in all it could have just been it fell apart because of something weird. Regardless I would leave to hear it again it was fixed. The third song definitely brought the ladies back into a good light. They started with a strong intro with good harmonies and the choreography was not distracting. The soloist had a good tone to her voice and felt comfortable on stage. It really worked well for them and was really overall entertaining to watch. It was a great number to go out on.

Brian: The final group before the intermission was University of Michigan Dicks and Janes. I had never heard the song they opened with, “My Stupid Mouth” by John Mayer, and I found it a little bit boring. The only thing I have to note about it was that the VP seemed a touch excessive compared to what the rest of the group was doing musically and in their choreography. I did not know their next song either, “Great Trees” by Malcom Dalgish, but because of the genre of it, I had not expected to. The arrangement was interesting, with many crunchy, dissident chords. There were a couple tuning issues, and at times the upper voices stuck out, but on the whole it was a sturdy performance. Fortunately, the Dicks and Janes saves their best for last in “Let the Music Get Down in Your Soul” by Marc Broussard. Although there were two soloists, one clearly stood out above the other (not because the other was bad). The group fed off of their leads and looked to be having fun for the first time in the set, and got the crowd involved clapping along late in the song. The group ended up standing in a straight line at the front of the stage, one hand thrust in the air. Even though the set had started slowly, it ended powerfully and led into the intermission nicely.

Nick: “My Stupid Mouth” was pretty good. It was a bit of an odd start, but it eventually evened out and turned out to be a good blend. Some of the background parts were a bit complicated, and it made it a bit rough. The same thing went for the VP. The VP did not blend well with the rest of the song and made it a bit distracting. The second song had a very choral style sound, with no VP. It was, personally, one of my favorite pieces because of the blending. The song was interesting, but its style did not fit that of the rest of their show. You may have expected to hear them sing this at a more classical concert, but definitely not at an a-cappella competition. Additionally, the piece had no ending, and if it did, there most definitely was no cue to the audience to prepare or an ending. I think this odd ending may have hurt their ranking a bit but I personally enjoyed the piece. The Dick and Janes put on an all round good show for their last song. The duets were sung nicely which was highlighted by the “Best Soloist” award they received at the end of the night. The chord blending was well done and the background group did not distract from the soloists.

Brian: I attended the quarterfinals at University of Illinois and they seemed to be much stronger than this night. Having that bias, I expected certain things out of the next two groups to perform, University of Minnesota Lake Effect, the quarterfinal winner, and the Missouri State University Beartones, the quarterfinal runner-up. They both had changed their sets for the semifinal, each cutting and adding songs. First up after the intermission was Lake Effect.

Changing their first song from their quarterfinal, Lake Effect started their set with “When Doves Cry” by Prince. The group was spread out across the stage with their backs to the audience, soloist standing alone at the front stage. The blend in the first song was exceptional, as I had expected from the group. There were two vocal percussionists for the song that were consistent and solid. A “School House Rock” Medley followed. The choreography here was complex, and generally well done, but the music seemed to suffer for it at times. They followed this with a beautiful arrangement of “Amazing Grace.” This song had been simply incredible at U of I, and tonight it was less than perfect. The blend and the tuning were both off. Adding a fourth song to their set, Lake Effect sang “Eye to Eye” by Telvin Campbell to close, and the audience appreciated it. The arrangement was solid and well performed until a sloppy bridge section. The second of two soloists saved them at the end by showcasing his falsetto in the final riffs. The Lake Effect that had won for their remarkable tuning and all-around musicianship was only present at times on this night and their choreography on the songs they had added to the set was sloppy. They are a faculty directed group, which is another debated topic of the ICCAs, but I will leave this one alone.

Nick: Lake Effect’s opener was iffy. The soloist seemed pretty good, but the rest of the group had some blending problems. The females’ voices seemed to pierce through the group and make for a seemingly unpleasant blend. The groups’ use of dual VP was pretty interesting. Occasionally it was out of sync, but when it was in sync it was pretty good. My favorite part about this song was the amazing vocal effect of a faded echo. It was really well done and the audience agreed with their loud applause. Not much to say about “Schoolhouse Rock” other than that I really enjoyed it. It was entertaining, fun and really well done. “Amazing Grace” was overall good. Only occasionally did the female voices overpower the male voices, which felt sort of like an old radio with none of the warm lower frequencies. They utilized dynamics effectively, and the fade was pleasing to the ear. Having memorized the original song of “Eye 2 Eye,” from the movie (insert jokes here), and having heard the version by the Xtension Chords (CreativeOutlet, 2007), I went into this song pretty biased. The song was too fast in my opinion. The splitting of the solo part was cool, and the second soloist really put some feeling into the song. Nothing about this arrangement seemed original, and their show-choir feel almost felt cheap. A group can do very well with some choreography and even no choreography, but the feel of their choreography felt more like show group rather than a fun a-cappella style group.

Brian: As I mentioned previously, the next group was the Missouri State University Beartones. They had also rearranged their set from when I saw them at the U of I quarterfinal. Moving their closer to the beginning, they opened with Boondocks by Little Big Town. The audience got excited, quickly. Their were two soloists, and the first sang with a great country twang that really sold the song. The arrangement also sounded remarkably like the original. In traditional ICCA form, the Beartones slowed things down for their middle song with “No More Walks in the Wood” by The Eagles. I don’t have much to say about this song, other than the fact that it was done well, but I think that can do it better. The addition to the Beartones set was their closer, a Beatles Medley. This medley contained no less than five classic Beatles songs, including “Let it Be,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and eventually ending powerfully on “Hey Jude.” They transitioned quickly and efficiently, giving the audience a good taste of each song, before moving on to the next. I feel that they can probably perform this one better as well, for at times the background parts were not always in sync. On the whole, the set was a definite improvement from their quarterfinal and helped to get the audience back into the event.

Nick: The Beartones’ opener was, overall, pretty good. Warm southern country feel. All of the note slurs were done in unison and with precision. Not much to say other than good things with the exception of one thing; Toward the end things fell out of place, but this was soon corrected and the group ended on a good note. For the Beatles songs, while I enjoyed the overall unison of group singing, the song felt empty. There was a lot of unison part-singing, and a lack of fulfilling harmonies. Given the blend started off shaky, it ended well.

Brian: The next group was The Truman State University True Men. I will mention their costuming for a brief moment only because I liked their matching purple ties with “TM” inscribed in large white letters at the bottoms. The opened with their own special version of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 - Molto Allegro. They had added lyrics to it and they told the story of one man trying to convince his friend to quit studying and come out with him to a party. It was not always beautiful musically, but very funny as it had intended to be. They followed with a much more musical version of “Let it Be” by The Beatles. This arrangement was very nice in that the texture was constantly changing, keeping the audience involved in the song. The soloist was also very strong all the way through. The group closed with a Muse Medley which included “Supermassive Black Hole” and “Knights of Cydonia.” I don’t have much to say about this except it showcased different members of the group who had abilities to make some bizarre sounds along the lines of electric guitars. The blend in the background was consistent, but the melodic lines (outside of the actual soloist) were at times weak, especially in the intro.

Nick: I loved The True Men’s first song. It was hilarious and entertaining and didn’t miss a beat. There were some points when one of the soloists’ mic possibly wasn’t on and it made it difficult to hear what he was saying, but in general, the song went well. The VP could have been a bit better, but he was no worse nor better than any of the other groups’ percussionists. For “Let It Be,” I really enjoyed this entire arrangement from the harmonies and blend to the choreography. The only part about this I did not like was the VP. While the percussionist wasn’t bad, the style used took away from the song and made it less enjoyable. With a little reworking it could be a great piece to keep. Admitting my notes got a little jabbered by the closer, I was unfamiliar with the song, so I could not tell if they switched between songs as sort of a collage of songs, or if it was one song. Other than this confusion, I really enjoyed this number. With the use of entertaining choreography, and interesting instrumental sounds, it was really well done.

Brian: The final group of the evening was The Washington University Stereotypes. They opened with “Crazy” by Seal and it was OK. Either the bass or the baritones were too loud and the soloist was frequently overpowered, except when he sang a riff outside of his range. The best part was the VP solo in the middle. Now for a little brief rant about their second song, “Going to a Town” by Rufus Wainwright. I had never heard this song before tonight, and if you haven’t heard it either, it features the line “I’m so tired of you, America,” frequently. The lyrics to the song were so distracting that I could not even tell you very much about the music, except that it was unremarkable. I am honestly shocked that this group would decide to sing this song in a competition, knowing full well how political the song is. It was a very bold choice and not in a good way. The audience around me, very audibly, did not approve, except for the parents of some Stereotypes member. Afterwards they sang “It’s Raining Men” by Geri Halliwell, and it felt as though they were trying to make up to the audience for what they had just sang. This closer was funny, but could not remove the bitter taste of what the Stereotypes had sang in the middle of their set.

Nick: I really liked this group’s choreography. They had some of the more entertaining choreography of the night. The outfits were nice but slightly distracting. As they poured the stage, their different colored ties made me think everyone drew from a bag of skittles for tie color. While the ties made for interesting attire, when it came to the dancing, flamboyant costuming made it hard to concentrate with bright colors against black shirts moving about the stage. Good idea on paper, not so great on stage. I was really confused and put off by the second song. That is all I can really say. The lyrics were confusing and not easily understood. After the preceding song, “It’s Raining Men” one really put them back on my good side. They executed the choreography and vocal sound in an entertaining fashion without over doing it. I only wish they had done more with the harmonies. While the rest of it was entertaining, the chording felt a bit empty.

Brian:As the judges set off to deliberate, Purple Haze came onstage to sing once more. Purple Haze sang only two songs that I knew tonight. They were technically solid, well blended and tuned for the most part. Although the arrangement of “Polite Dance Song” by The Bird and The Bee had some flaws to it in its introduction, the soloist was one of the finest of the night.

The University of Southern California SoCal VoCals, last year’s ICCA champions, were on their spring break tour, and gave a guest performance at this point in the show. First however, they sang Misery Business by Paramore, with Purple Haze. It was a good idea in theory, but the sheer number of vocalists made the blend tough and the sound weak. The soloist was solid with the 30+ member ensemble behind her and sang strong. I appreciate the collaboration, but I was very glad when it was the only song they sang together.

The SoCal VoCals sang a brief, three song set of “Dirt Road” by Gabriel Mann, “Thinking of You” by Katy Perry, and a third song which I did not know. Dirt Road is a staple in the VoCal repertoire and I was not surprised to hear it. They were missing a couple members for this tour, and the girls struggled at times to make up for their missing section mates. It was a solid performance, though, and I picked up a copy of their newly released CD entitled Unanimous following the show. They will be performing around the Midwest this week, including shows at U of I and Michigan.

After a relatively brief deliberation and calculation period, the judges had made their decision shortly after the VoCals had finished their set (Purple Haze came back on and sang a couple more songs during the wait).

Following the competition, here are my thoughts on the evening: The standard approach to building your ICCA set has been to sing a sandwich of high energy songs with a slower song in the middle. Unfortunately, a lot of the slow songs tonight failed to showcase the groups’ abilities, and after tuning issues and stagnant choreography, they proved to be extremely boring. It is also unfortunate then that the up-tempo song choices for the evening were unusually poor. There is much to be said for getting the audience on your side and keeping them interested in what you are singing. Judges are audience members too, just with more control over your ICCA fate.

When eventual winners, the Beartones, stepped forth and started singing “Boondocks” by country artist Little Big Town, the audience responded with a certain level of excitement that you only get from recognizing a familiar tune. The arrangement was spot on and earned them Best Arrangement on the evening. More importantly, the song was consistently fantastic with a couple of surprises, a great blend, and solid all-around musicianship.

Now allow me to contrast that with Capital Green, who closed their set with “Lolli Lolli” by Three Six Mafia, a song of similar popularity. The audience responded with enthusiasm and laughs as the song began, but quieted down for a majority of the song. While the cleaned up raps and occasional funny piece of choreography garnered a few laughs from the weary audience, I have no doubt that the judges were baffled by the ease of the arrangement for the unusual closer.

On top of several mismanaged popular tunes, were a group of song selections which the audience clearly did not know very well. For example, Dicks and Janes opened with “My Stupid Mouth” by John Mayer. The group sang it generally cleanly and the song seemed to be well arranged, but I admittedly have never heard this song. Making no claims to have heard every song ever written, I simply say perhaps there is a reason this one has not crossed my path. General rule of thumb: Sing songs people know and like. If the audience does not know they song you are singing, sing it well enough that they don’t care and find a way to get them into it.

As for the actual judging of the competition, there is something to be said for the order of performance for the night. Everyone knows that going first, or even in the first half of the show, can be a death sentence, even for the best groups. Xtension Chords went first on this evening. Their songs were very well arranged and performed, taking home my first place pick (coveted, I know). Unfortunately, they went first. The 1st Place Beartones and 3rd Place Lake Effect both sang in the second half of the show. Now I understand that the system for picking the order is completely blind and random. It is clear that that unbiased approach is most detrimental to the strongest groups. The Xtension Chords won their quarterfinal and had received the highest points total in the country, and in this scenario it counted for nothing. Perhaps a seeding is necessary - Runner-Ups of the Quarterfinals in the first half and the Winners of the Quarterfinals after the intermission.

An ICCA competition is something special that every a cappella fan should experience at least once, for there will always be great a cappella music being performed at the highest level.

Brian’s Picks:
Outstanding Soloist - Dicks and Janes for “Let the Music Get Down in Your Soul”
Outstanding Arrangement - Xtension Chords for “Viva la Vida”
Outstanding Vocal Percussion - The Beartones
Outstanding Choreography - Xtension Chords

Overall Placement:
1) University of Illinois - Xtension Chords
2) Missouri State University - Beartones
3) University of Minnesota - Lake Effect

Nick’s Picks:
Outstanding Soloist - Dicks and Janes for “Let the Music Get Down In Your Soul”

Outstanding Choreography - Xtension Chords

Overall Placement:
1) University of Illinois – Xtension Chords
2) Truman State - University True Men
3) Washington University - Stereotypes

ICCA Official Results:
Outstanding Soloist - Antwaun Stanley of University of Michigan Dicks and Janes for “Let the Music Get Down in Your Soul”
Outstanding Arrangement - JR Neil of MSU Beartones for “Boondocks”
Outstanding Choreography - Xtension Chords

Overall Placement:
1) Missouri State University - Beartones
2) University of Illinois - Xtension Chords
3) University of Minnesota - Lake Effect

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Related posts:

1. Event Review: ICCA Midwest Semifinal at Michigan Theater
2. ACB Event Review: ICCA South Semifinal at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro
3. Event Review: ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal at Michigan State University
4. Event Review: ICCA Northeast Semifinal at MIT
5. ACB Event Review: ICCA South Quarterfinal at Elon University