Across the country, and, indeed, around the world, there are numerous a cappella groups who have stumbled upon the very same songs to perform. In some cases it may just be a popular song of the moment. In others, it might be a unique album track that a number of music aficionados agree it might be neat to make their group’s own. Still yet, there are times when a song is just easy to arrange and is, therefore, subject to constant covering.
Whatever the case may be, in The Run Off, The A Cappella Blog brings together three to five different renderings of the same song, and, in the name of sharing different visions, and for the sake of friendly competition, puts them side by side for readers to vote for their favorites. Please feel free to post your rationale in the comments section. Winners will be announced three weeks after the polling begins.
For this edition of The Run Off, we take a look at Muse’s “Time Is Running Out.”
Loading ...
Rutgers University Casual Harmony (2006)
The University of North Carolina Clef Hangers (2006)
Syracuse University Orange Appeal (2007)
Northwestern University Freshman Fifteen (2007)
Tulane University Green Envy (2007)
—-
Trying to find the next ICCA show in your area? Check out our Events page!
Lauren Barreiro isthe music director of the Florida State University AcaBelles. This is her first review for The A Cappella Blog.
On Saturday night in Greensboro, NC I found it quite odd to be taking a seat in the Aycock Theater rather than nervously awaiting my group’s turn to take the stage for ICCA South Semifinals. Having been there with AcaBelles just last year, I knew everything the performers were feeling and was almost nervous for them.
The lights lowered as the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Spartones took the stage with a Black Eyed Peas medley starting the show appropriately with “Let’s Get It Started”. The lovely Lindsay Howerton followed with the usual Varsity Vocals ICCA welcome and announcement of the show’s order. It was Florida State University’s All-Night Yahtzee, University of Maryland PandemoniUM, Clemson University Tigeroar, University of North Carolina-Greensboro Sapphires, University of Georgia Accidentals, College of William and Mary DoubleTake, The Georgetown Phantoms, and University of Florida No Southern Accent. As we awaited ANY’s set, the emcee for the night, Nick Lyons, very appropriately instructed the audience on proper clapping techniques for each set- short claps between songs and thunderous applause as each group got on and off stage. All-Night Yahtzee, however, didn’t even allow the audience to use their newly acquired skills.
With a seamless set consisting of a Lady Gaga mashup of “Bad Romance” and “Love Game”, a gorgeous rendition of Peter Bradley’s “Lay Your Head Down”, and what was hands down the most adorable moment of the show, Hello Goodbye’s “Here (In Your Arms)” as a duet between a male and female member of the group, All-Night Yahtzee set the bar for the following groups to reach. The first piece featured one soloist on the familiar “Ra ra ra ah ah…” of “Bad Romance” that fully embodied the attitude needed to take on Lady Gaga, however I found myself just wanting more in attitude, volume, and overall Gaga-ness from the second soloist singing “Love Game”. The choreography was quirky and appealing but left me wanting Yahtzee to take up more of the stage. They’re a large group and didn’t seem to manipulate the space they were given to their advantage. The warm tone of the soloist on “Lay Your Head Down” really allowed for the message of the song to come through to the audience and was quite beautiful to listen to. What would have really taken it to the next level is if the group matched the soloist in his story-telling. Thoughtful choreography and use of sign language seemed to be the proper choice and was pretty to look at but lacked the emotion and commitment from each member to really pull it off. “Here (In Your Arms)” was a very smart choice on Yahtzee’s behalf and was the only memorable moment in which any of the 5 mixed groups that competed used having both sexes to their advantage, also allowing the very intense group to become much more accessible.
The set, in general, was often bottom heavy and many of the intricacies of the arrangements were lost. However, percussive syllables, creative choreography, and the fact that no pitches were played through the entire set allowed Yahtzee to remain memorable throughout the show.
Across the country, and, indeed, around the world, there are numerous a cappella groups who have stumbled upon the very same songs to perform. In some cases it may just be a popular song of the moment. In others, it might be a unique album track that a number of music aficionados agree it might be neat to make their group’s own. Still yet, there are times when a song is just easy to arrange and is, therefore, subject to constant covering.
Whatever the case may be, in The Run Off, The A Cappella Blog brings together three to five different renderings of the same song, and, in the name of sharing different visions, and for the sake of friendly competition, puts them side by side for readers to vote for their favorites. Please feel free to post your rationale in the comments section. Winners will be announced three weeks after the polling begins.
For this edition of The Run Off, we take a look at Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek.”
Loading ...
McGill University Soulstice (2007)
University of Oregon Divisi (2006)
The Johns Hopkins University All-Nighters (2009)
The University of North Carolina Achordants (2007)
The Dartmouth Dodecaphonics (2007)
—-
Think you know collegiate a cappella? Prove yourself in The ACB ICCA Bracket Contest! The winners will be recognized on our site and receive great prizes! Click on the button on the upper right of this page to enter.
Mike Scalise here to fill you in on a recent show. The Mid-Atlantic region of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) opened this Saturday, February 6, with a quarterfinal at Cornell University. Call Alumni Auditorium in Kennedy Hall was the site for the show. Having arrived early to Cornell, I was able to scope out the venue. The last time I was at Cornell for an ICCA show was several years ago, and the event occurred in Sage Chapel. This venue had a much different feel. First, it had stadium seating, holding around 600, with a surprisingly small stage. Regardless, it looked well-suited for an event like this.
Across the country, and, indeed, around the world, there are numerous a cappella groups who have stumbled upon the very same songs to perform. In some cases it may just be a popular song of the moment. In others, it might be a unique album track that a number of music aficionados agree it might be neat to make their group’s own. Still yet, there are times when a song is just easy to arrange and is, therefore, subject to constant covering.
Whatever the case may be, in The Run Off, The A Cappella Blog brings together three to five different renderings of the same song, and, in the name of sharing different visions, and for the sake of friendly competition, puts them side by side for readers to vote for their favorites. Please feel free to post your rationale in the comments section. Winners will be announced three weeks after the polling begins.
For this edition of The Run Off, we take a look at Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time.”
Loading ...
The Yeshiva University Maccabeats (2009)
University of Rochester After Hours (2009)
University of Oregon On The Rocks (2007)
The Miami University Cheezies (2008)
Vassar College AirCappella (2007)
—-
Think you know collegiate a cappella? Prove yourself in The ACB ICCA Bracket Contest! The winners will be recognized on our site and receive great prizes! Click on the button on the upper right of this page to enter.
Loading ...
RSS
