The Beat is a top notch group out of UC San Diego. Members of the group took the time to answer questions from ACB Content Manager Mike Chin.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): As a new group, has The Beat developed any unique traditions or rituals among its membership?

The Beat (TB): Not any that stand out aside from the ritual S&M session that occurs at our first rehearsal… but seriously, tradition is one of the reasons it is fun to be part of a new group.  We get to influence the group’s identity and make our own traditions instead of adhering to ones that were made by people that are married and have children already.  The first two years were chock-full simply trying to establish ourselves as a group, but now we can concentrate on the fun stuff.  It’s as simple as thinking “Hey, why don’t we…?”

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Renaissance is a top notch all-female group out of the University of Maine. Molly Webster took the time to answer questions from A Cappella Blog Content Manager Mike Chin.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): Renaissance finished first in its ICCA quarterfinal in 2007. What was it like to achieve this in front of a “home crowd” at the University of Maine?

Molly Webster(MW):It was such an amazing experience. We had put so much work into our set and had come such a huge distance in a fairly limited amount of time, we were just so honored. Oh, man, it was fantastic to perform here at UMAINE and to have such great success. The University’s support means a great deal to us.

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With the ICCA Finals upon us, what better time to revisit last year’s champions, the incomparable all-female sensation, Brigham Young’s Noteworthy. Director Esther Yoder took the time to answer questions form ACB Content Manager Mike Chin.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): First of all, congratulations on earning the title of ICCA Champions last year. What did this accomplishment mean to the group?

Esther Yoder (EY): More than anything, it was and is an honor.  It was an incredible experience to perform alongside so many incredibly talented groups and share in their enthusiasm and excitement.  Every year is a great experience because of the friendships gained with other competing groups.

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Casual Harmony is a dynamic, innovative and exciting all-male group out of Rutgers. This Saturday, the group will return to the ICCA Mid-Atlantic Semifinals as the home team for what promises to be an outstanding show. Casual Harmony founder David Rabizadeh took the time to answer questions from A Cappella Blog Content Manager Mike Chin.

A Cappella Blog (ACB): What can listeners expect from Casual Harmony’s first CD, “Score Some Harmony?”

David Rabizadeh (DR): Our group is known for its diverse music selection so you will hear rock tracks from artists such as System of a Down, Radiohead and The Muse all the way to R&B/Pop from John Legend and Maroon 5. 

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Outspoken is a top notch a cappella group out of Oregon State University with an interesting history. Jason Taylor, a co-founder of the group, took time to answer questions from A Cappella Blog Content Manager Mike Chin.

A Cappella Blog (ACB): Last spring, Outspoken celebrated its fifth anniversary with a special show. How has the group developed over five years, and what did this milestone mean for the group? How did the show go?

Jason Taylor (JT): It’s a very long story, but here goes. Outspoken was the direct result of myself and my long time childhood friend David Emmert. We were part of the Oregon All-State honor choir back in High School which was held at the University of Oregon. While there On The Rocks (OTR) did a two song exhibition performance for the honor choir. This was the first time either of us had heard contemporary a cappella before. Needless to say we loved the style. We both had our hearts set on going to Oregon State so singing with OTR was out of the question. So we decided to start our own group. We wanted to be different than OTR, but just as appealing. At least we hoped. Getting it started was a task in and of itself. A cappella in Oregon at the time was just still getting started (only a year or so before had UO’s Divisi been formed) so we had no help besides what we came up with ourselves. We managed to recruit many freshmen guys and a couple sophomores into the original group since the upperclassmen didn’t take us seriously. In fact some of the members who have been with us the last two years straight up refused to be in the original group. Now we can’t get rid of them… go figure huh?

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