The SoCal VoCals, Spring 2008
For the uninitiated, it can be difficult to understand why people love a cappella. Heck, even for those of us who do actively enjoy it, it can be difficult to put into words why we enjoy this art form so. While we’ll never have a truly comprehensive list of everything cool about a cappella, 200 Reasons to Love A Cappella is our best attempt at assembling a list of what makes it great.
Reason #17: The SoCal VoCals, Spring 2008
I’m relegating this reason to just one particular semester’s incarnation of the group because, as good as the group has been in general, this marked the first I saw of them, and this is one of the great incarnations of any group in collegiate a cappell history.
For every brand of competition there are these stories—teams that have to emerge from defeat to pull themselves up to new heights. Groups that undergo rigorous preparation and practice, best summed up in some eighties training montage. The So Cal VoCals represent that story, as regular ICCA performers who just kept learning from past disappointments; who took the time to study YouTube videos, to watch the competition, and to quite clearly and quite frankly work their butts off to become the very best group they could possibly be.
From the innovative choreography of “Feeling Good,” to the pitch perfect choral blend of “All The Things You Are,” to the all-around stunning finale of “Somebody to Love.” It’s rare for me to give a group a standing ovation in competition unless I know the performers personally. This was a rare exception that rule, as I simply couldn’t help myself. You just don’t get much better than The SoCal VoCals that night.
I love it!