ICCA 2008 Mid-Atlantic Semifinals at Rutgers University

Mike Chin checking in here after a solid competition at Rutgers this weekend. The Nicholas Music Center was packed with spectators and, similar to last year’s Mid-Atlantic Semifinal, there was a ‘big show’ feeling in the air. There were easily several hundred people in attendance, and it was neat to see the factions coming to cheer on their groups—a Drew University contingent up toward the stage, a Syracuse crew toward the back, a band of Ithaca backers, mostly in the middle and, of course, a majority of the crowd presenting the Rutgers faithful, there to support Casual Harmony.

For this show, we’ll be going with a he said-he said style, with both my own commentary, and the words of ACB Production Manager Mike Scalise.

Mike S: The venue was probably one of the nicest and best-equipped for vocal performances I’ve seen. I walked in to find a well-lit stage with acoustic walls behind it and acoustic tiles around the auditorium. Couple that with stadium seating and we have the makings for a great show. This was surprising since last year’s ICCA Mid-Atlantic Semifinal at Rutgers was located in a level room with a makeshift stage, and quite a few more people than there were folding chairs to seat them.

Mike C: The show opened about a half hour late, and the crowd was none-too-pleased. Deep Treble, the Rutgers mixed group which won this very show a year ago, played host and opened the night with Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Not bad, but I certainly could have done without the ‘guitar solo.’

Rutgers University Casual Harmony was the first of the evening’s competing groups. I must confess from the get-go that this is one of my favorite groups in all of collegiate a cappella. I first saw them in semifinal action three years ago at Cornell, where their insane rendering of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” continues to stand out as one of the greatest a cappella performances I’ve seen, specifically from the soloist. Since then, I’ve seen the guys perform several times, and they’ve never failed to impress. You wouldn’t get any argument from the home crowd, which was behind the guys 100 percent.

The guys took the stage in their standard multi-colored collared shirts and jeans, and opened with Dave Matthews Band’s “Stay.” Slick solo here. Good stage presence, and a silky smooth voice from the guy, though the song seemed to get away from him a bit at the end. In the background, everyone was dipping at the knees in rhythm. Very, very simple, but the guys were into it, and it looked good. All in all it was a good song, but nothing out of this world, and a bit too laid back for a high octane group like this to use for their opener.

Mike S: I thought “Stay” was a really good song selection for the competition – not a slow, dull song, but also not extremely energetic, making me think there was more to come. The backup vocalists had some interesting choreography, with a two-hand lunge toward the audience, followed by dribbling movements, and as you might expect, even a few shooting gestures. The soloist looked confident during the performance and was right on key throughout the song.  Really good start to the night.

Mike C: Next up was the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris.” I credit the guys for using some mainstream music, as I think that can really help draw an audience in. This one was interesting. I thought the soloist had a good voice, and he was giving the facials his all. For all the effort, though, I just don’t think this was the man for the song. The theatrics came off alternately too put on or just not evident enough. Some good dynamics from the group in general, and again, some good, very simple movement. I write it all the time, but you don’t need full on choreography for every song. Some simple movement, well-sold, will do plenty to engage your audience, and that’s something this group understands well.

Mike S: “Iris” was a good song choice in my opinion. Appropriately, there were much fewer, more subtle movements by the backup vocalists, which was fine. I think that with a little more movement, it could have been a little more visually appealing. However, the solo and full sound of the backup vocals more than compensated for the choreography.

Mike C: Contrary to the preceding tune, last up was Casual Harmony’s trademark overblown, insanely choreographed monster of a song. It was “Paralyzer” by Finger 11. This one wasn’t bad, but didn’t really do anything to wow me musically. But man, can these guys move. For my money, there is absolutely no group in collegiate a cappella who can integrate movement this well into a set, and yet make it look completely effortless. From a visual perspective, it was an excellent way to wrap things up, though I would have liked a better musical outing.

I really enjoyed the Casual Harmony set, and am hard pressed to recall a better opening group at any ICCA show I’ve attended. With that being said, I can’t deny that the Rutgers fans started getting on my nerves with their pervasive “RU” chant. If the guys were to win, I’d have no problem with the crowd celebrating that full tilt. But, please, save it for that sort of moment.

Mike S: The last song of the set was “Paralyzer.”  Surprisingly, I was a little put out by this performance.  The solo sounded almost forced, which I’m not sure is a result of the soloist or the just the song selection.  The choreography was a complete 180 from the previous song, with side steps and movements all around the stage.  I’m happy to see more action, but vocally speaking, I think this song was slightly lacking.

All in all, Casual Harmony gave a strong performance, showcasing a variety of songs and setting the bar high for their competitors.

Set Summary:
1. “Stay” by Dave Matthews Band
2. “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls
3. “Paralyzer” by Finger 11

Mike C: The evening’s emcees were A For Effort, and improve group from Rutgers. This created an interesting dynamic, as they weren’t reading descriptions the group wrote in advance, as is custom, but rather improvising sketches to illustrate the group names. It was hit and miss, but I appreciate the effort, and willingness to try something new.

The second competing group was Ithaca College’s Ithacappella. This group is always entertaining, always musically sound. Over the years, they’ve become something like the bridesmaids of ICCA—making their fourth straight consecutive trip to the semifinals, and competitive in each outing, but not one berth in the ICCA Finals to show for it. You have to believe that these guys wanted it bad coming into Rutgers.

The men of Ithacappella came out in their signature blue blazers, khakis and ties, a sharp look for sure. They opened with “Get Ready” by The Temptations. I have to admit that I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a smarter opening song for an ICCA set. It’s upbeat, fun, lyrically applicable to the start of a set, and the guys pulled it off well. There was plenty of movement, though the choreography grew a bit repetitive for my tastes. It was well-executed and entertaining nonetheless, and the sound was good. My only complaint was that it seemed to run a little long—I may have liked for them to trim it a little, or sample something, but not a huge problem.

Mike S: “Get Ready” is not my favorite song, but a really good choice.  The choreography was a combination of turns and steps around the stage which matched the vocals to a T.  The sound was full, yet not so much as to drown out either of the soloists.  For a song I’m not too fond of, I was entertained.

Mike C: The guys opted to talk between songs, introducing the next number and soloists—a quirky, interesting choice. Green Day’s “Welcome to Paradise” was the second number. I would have liked to have heard more of a change in tempo, but I can also respect the decision to buck tradition, and not turn to a ballad in the middle of the set. Another, good, high energy performance, featuring a few fun syllable choices, an a choral sampling of “Basket Case,” which I really enjoyed. Good stuff, all around.

Mike S: Prior to the start of the second song, one of the group members asked if the audience liked Green Day.  This made me wonder if they had a medley planned.  Luckily I like Green Day.  Sure enough, they began singing “Welcome to Paradise.”  Interesting song choice, which wouldn’t be the first song I’d think of to perform a cappella, but the group did a great job.  The solo sounded really clear and was the right volume level.  The choreography featured a plethora of movement, including head tilts, hand-to-ear gestures, and, of course, pelvic thrusts.  The group also interjected “ooga-chaka” a few times throughout the song, eventually followed by a transition to “Basket Case.”  I thought it was all really good.

Mike C: The guys had me wondering how they would close the set. Convention has your last song be your highest energy one, but it was tough to believe they’d have much left in the tank after the first two, and they hadn’t yet pulled at the heartstrings much. Introducing, Nate Tao as Stevie Wonder. You’ve gotta love the little Asian guy, and man could he sing. Fantastic solo, for a great combination of beautiful music and fun theatrics from the group. Ordinarily, I don’t like for a group to try to be funny during a ballad, and this song was just enough of a ‘tweener that the group could afford a mix of emotions. Solid, solid set.

Mike S: The final song was “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder.   Perfect song for this competition if performed and choreographed right.  I have to say, the group made the right decision picking the soloist and choreography for this arrangement.  The solo was dead on. The choreography was just right for the song, with a mixture of finger snaps, arm extensions and retractions, and various head movements.  I thought this would win best solo. All in all, it was a stellar performance.

Set Summary:
1. “Get Ready” by The Temptations
2. “Welcome to Paradise” by Green Day
3. “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder

Mike C: Next up were Penn State’s Shades of Blue. The emcees introduced them with their players acting depressed for different reasons. Get it? Depressed, as in they were blue? Shades of blue? What can I say, I’m a sucker for a bad pun.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—I don’t care for the Shades of Blue attire, with different colored blue tops, and black bottoms. I get what they’re going for, but it just isn’t aesthetically pleasing to me. Fortunately, just like last year, the performance exceeded the look for the group. They opened with Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is A Highway.” I’ve been wanting to hear this song a cappella for quite a while, but always envisioned it as a big, rousing closer. This was good, but not quite what I hoped for. A ton of movement which was fun to see. Pretty good solo, but I struggled to understand why a female soloist was covering this one, in a mixed group.

Mike S: I saw Shades of Blue perform at last year’s semifinals, and was expecting an improved performance, filling any gaps from last year.  I had mixed feelings overall. The first song of the set was “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane.  I think this song was a decent choice for the competition.  The group began with their backs to the audience, which made me hope for something exciting, or at least some cool moves.  The group did a good job on the whole choreography front for this song, with turns, leg shifting, dancing, and clapping.  The solo, however, left something to be desired.  I wasn’t exactly sure why, but it was really fast.  I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but it just didn’t sound right.  Why go faster than necessary unless you have a specific reason like a medley or something comedic?  I thought it was also too loud, almost screaming rather than singing.  Don’t get me wrong, the soloist had a very good voice, but just take it down a little bit.

Mike C: Second up was “Rain” by Breaking Benjamin. Very good solo here, with a decent second solo complementing him. Beautiful sound all around on this one, though, as was the case in the first song (and as would continue into the third number) something about the staging of the song gave me the sense I was watching musical theatre rather than collegiate a cappella. It was well executed enough that that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn’t necessarily great either.

Mike S: “Rain” was a much slower song.  I had never heard the song before, but the backup vocals sounded full, as did the duet.  There wasn’t a great deal of exciting movements, which is common of slower songs. (Even though I think that you can still take advantage of the choreography piece with slower songs)  By the end of the song, I was getting a little bored, but was surprisingly interested in how they transitioned themselves to their third piece.

Mike C: The set came to a close with The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” This was really interesting to me. Great male solo to start. The female soloist who took over next was over the top to me, though, and kind of took away from the song. Very interesting visual presentation on this one, highlighted with anywhere from one to four members communicating the song in sign language throughout. Very interesting choice, which I liked in that it was different and inclusive, though I had to question the number of hard of hearing folks who would attend an a cappella show, and I didn’t like that the members who signed weren’t singing at all when they did so. Maybe I’m just being ignorant, though, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. All in all, it was an ambitious, aurally pleasing, and certainly off-beat set.

Mike S: “Let it Be” began with some group members standing and others kneeling, having not moved from their ending positions of the previous performance.  Again, a slower song choice, but one that the Shades made work for them.  Aside from the good vocals and choreography, the group had one of the members interpreting the song in sign language—an interesting twist that proved to be unique and innovative.

Set Summary:
1. “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane
2. “Rain” by Breaking Benjamin
3. “Let It Be” by The Beatles

Mike C: Fourth in the queue were the Syracuse University Mandarins. The emcees introduced them by pretending to speak Mandarin Chinese—marginally entertaining. The Mandarins are a talented all-female group which has, historically, enjoyed its share of success including multiple trips to the semifinals, and even one journey into the Finals, in 2004.

The Mandarins took the stage dressed in black with silver highlights. Sharp look all around. The first song was Sonya Kitchell’s “Let Me Go.” Very solid, understated solo. I dig a really good solo, where it doesn’t feel as though the soloist is really ‘performing’ if that makes sense. Good sound all around, and nice level of subtle movement, that was just enough to keep it interesting, but not be awkward or overblown.

Mike S:  I wasn’t familiar with “Let Me Go,” but as it turns out, it was a great piece for the competition.  The solo was the right volume and sounded really good with the backup vocals.  The choreography and vocal percussion were both superb, with just enough pizzazz to make the song work.

Mike C: Next up was Madonna’s “Take A Bow.” Decent soloist, and I liked that the group rearranged their configuration on stage, making it interesting to look at it without even having to move, until they spread out toward the end. Decent soloist here, but I really liked the backing solo, and I feel like her performance is what elevated this song from just OK to actively good.

Mike S: “Take A Bow” isn’t something I would pick for the competition, only for the fact that it is somewhat low and slow, making it more difficult to come up with creative choreography.  As expected, the choreography consisted of swaying back and forth.  The vocals were decent, but not great.

Mike C: Last up was “Love You I Do,” from Dreamgirls. Good soloist. Song seemed a little high for her, which is a shame, because I know how well she can rip through a song that’s fully in her range. Still, a solid outing for her. Good sound, and a lot of fun movement here, though the movement didn’t play quite as well here, in juxtaposition with so many other strong visual performances, in contrast to the group’s quarterfinal show, where they had more of an opportunity to shine. All in all, a good set, but as a whole, it didn’t hold up quite so well at this level of the competition.

Mike S: I was hoping for a great performance to finish the set.  I got an OK performance.  I like a lot of the choreography that the Mandarins use, and this was no exception.  They used a lot of good arm movements and steps, and were able to pull off the vocals. 

Set Summary:
1. “Let Me Go” by Sonya Kitchell
2. “Take a Bow” by Madonna
3. “Love You I Do” from Dreamgirls

Mike C: Intermission time. Pump out the BOCA.

The fifth group was the University of Rochester’s all-female Vocal Point. I’ve gotten to see Vocal Point a number of times before. Year after year, their level of performance seems pretty consistent—good enough to be in the upper tier of just about any quarterfinal, but not impressive enough to make much of a dent beyond that level of competition.

Vocal Point opened its set with “Wishing I Was There” by Natalie Imbruglia. Decent solo. Choreography was OK, but  I couldn’t help feeling the girls weren’t selling it full-tilt, which just isn’t going to make for an entertaining show. Only thing that really stood out here for me was the vocal perc, which was pretty darn good.

Mike S: Much like the other all-female group, the Mandarins, Vocal Point arrived on stage in all black, looking very classy. The group started with “Wishing I was There,” which wasn’t a bad pick.  I think this was a good song choice to showcase both vocals and choreography.  The solo was very good, sounding a lot like Natalie Imbruglia.  To complement that, the choreography was a pleasant mix of arm movements, and cross hand-slapping.

Mike C: Second was “The Walk” by Imogen Heap. OK solo. Some good variation in the dynamics, with a big crescendo moving into the end. I found the movement distracting—once again, the right idea, but not executed well enough. The sort of slow motion grapevine move they put into play just looked awkward, and distracted me from the music.

Mike S: “The Walk”  was equally as good as the first.  The backing vocalists, vocal percussionist, and soloist came together nicely.  The choreography consisted of various leg movements swaying in and out, with a few unique steps, and a few arm extensions throughout the song.  The arrangement itself was all in all very good.

Mike C: Vocal Point finished its set with Matchbox 20’s “Downfall.”  It occurred to me as they started what an amazing idea this was for wrapping up a set. It’s a borderline epic song, with the original featuring a full gospel choir. Put this song in the right group’s hands—in my mind, the hands of a really good mixed group—and you have an amazing experience. This group wasn’t quite up to the task. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really memorable either, making for a lackluster finish.

Mike S: The final song of the set again was a good choice. I would have opted for something a little more different from the previous two, but it was fine. What I noticed most about this performance, oddly enough, was the vocal percussion. Although VP alone isn’t what will win you a competition, I thought that this was a really good performance. Likewise, the snapping fingers, swaying, and clapping meshed well with the rest of the performance. I was definitely OK with it.

Set Summary:
1. “Wishing I Was There” by Natalie Imbruglia
2. “The Walk” by Imogen Heap
3. “Downfall” by Matchbox 20

Mike C: A for Effort introduced Drew University’s 36 Madison Avenue by portraying lost travelers, trying to find their way to—you guessed it—36 Madison Avenue. Faithful readers may recall that Mad Ave was among my favorite groups from last year, and probably the one I would have recognized as most underrated in the Mid-Atlantic at that time. It was good to see the guys return to the semifinals stage this year.

The guys came clad in all black dress clothes, and different brightly colored ties. It made for a pretty fantastic look. They opened with Rufus Wainwright’s “Instant Pleasure.” Soloist was good, but not great. Good energy from the group behind him, with some fun choreography, including a repeated high five move in the back. They sampled The Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself” in the middle. All in all, it was a good song, but not something I would have taken to competition—in part for performance quality, but much more so for subject matter. Not knowing the judges individual sensibilities, and knowing that the shows are supposed to be family friendly, the lines about wanting someone to give them sex whenever they want it may not have been the best choices.

Mike S: The group started their set with “Instant Pleasure” by Rufus Wainwright, which I thought was a decent choice.  The movements were also well choreographed and consisted of pulling motions, various hand moves, and hip thrusts.  The soloist seemed very confident on stage, blending well with the backup vocals and vocal percussion.  In fact, the group transitioned into “I Touch Myself” – Vinyls by the end of the piece.  Not a bad start.

Mike C: Second was Citizen Cope’s “Son’s Gonna Rise.” Good charisma from the soloist, and, again, good energy from the group. I wasn’t all that engaged, but I think it was mostly a problem with song selection, rather than anything the guys did or did not do. A bit of a let down on that one.

Mike S: “Son’s Gonna Rise” was an interesting choice.  The vocals were good—nothing breathtaking.  The vocal percussion could have used a little work.  However, I thought the mix of pulls and head turns was really cool.  They managed to pull everything together by the end of the song to make it a decent performance.

Mike C: Third song was Everlife’s “Strangers Like Me.” Strong solo, if a little music-theater-sounding. Good, simple choreography. Sampling of Phil Collins’s “Take Me Home,” and they let the two songs bleed into one another at the end. I really wanted that moment to be bigger, with a richer sound. What could have been pretty incredible was just good, rounding out a set that, all around, just wasn’t as great as I would have hoped.

Mike S: The vocals were good on the last song, with a sound solo, and decent choreography.  The group managed to combine turns, ducks, and kneels in a way that flowed surprisingly well with the vocals. The only vocal criticism I have was that the soloist sounded a little more Broadway than I thought he should have, and I wasn’t sure if the performance as a whole was good enough to compete with a lot of the other groups.

Set Summary:
1. “Instant Pleasure” by Rufus Wainwright
2. “Son’s Gonna Rise” by Citizen Cope
3. “Strangers Like Me” by Everlife

Mike C: Next up were The Carnegie Mellon University Originals, who the improve group introduced by acting as a group of super heroes, billing themselves as The Originals.

The Originals were a bunch of young looking guys. Decent enough choice of attire—white shirts, blue ties, blue jeans. The guys started with “Jukebox Hero” by Foreigner. Fun song, and while it seemed like they took it a bit more seriously than they had in the quarterfinals, I still wasn’t sold on them as rockers. OK soloist. Lot of movement, lot of energy, decent way to open the set.

Mike S: This group had a cool look, in my opinion. “Jukebox Hero” was a song that I would never really think to choose for an a cappella performance, but I wouldn’t rule it out as having some good potential in the competition.  The group was solid in all areas, from the strumming of the guitar movements, claps, and stomps, to full-sounding backup vocalists.  The solo was also a great performance, hitting the right volume levels and all the right notes.

Mike C: The second song was “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Really different song choice, and I think it worked well. Out of this world bass sound. Very dramatic, very serious, very well executed, and it helped the group really find its own unique identity in the show.

Mike S: I was really surprised that The Originals picked this type of song.  Not that there is anything wrong with choosing this slow, biblical-esque song, but I’ve never heard it sung a cappella.  However, I was equally (and pleasantly) surprised at their ability to act the part.  They performed this song almost exactly as I would imagine a church choir would.  I think that’s a good thing.  It showcases their ability to transform and leverage their talents.

Mike C: And then we were on to “Run, Freedom, Run” from Urinetown. Absolutely sensational charisma and presence from the soloist, working the stage, and great theatrical movement from the guys behind him. I really dug this, specifically in the way the choreography built, ending with the guys forming some sort of make shift boat, with a guy hanging off the back, pumping his legs in a running motion. Really entertaining, and a very good ending to a good set.

Mike S: What hit me most about “Run, Freedom, Run” was the choreography.  There was a plethora of different movements, including stomps, claps, running, finger-snapping, turns, and a bunch more.  It was all well-placed too, fitting with the song selection and a surprisingly good vocal performance. Great way to end their set.

Set Summary:
1. “Jukebox Hero” by Foreigner
2. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
3. “Run, Freedom, Run” from Urinetown

Mike C: The last group out of the chute was The Buffalo Chips. A for Effort introduced them by indicating they were the offspring of a Mr. Buffalo and Ms. Chip. In recent history, I’d evaluate this group to be sort of a brother group, just a notch above Vocal Point—always good enough to make a solid showing in the first round, never great enough to really make much impact come the semifinals.

The Chips were looking sharp in matching bright blue shirts and blue jeans. The guys started with Muse’s “Starlight.” Clean sound from the group, and some very good, if not exactly groundbreaking movement. I liked the soloist here.

Mike S: The vocals on “Starlight” were pretty good, and the choreography was also strong. Most notably, it was the only group of the night to break out the “robot” dance. All in all, they gave an entertaining performance.

Mike C: Next was The Butterfly Effect’s “Everybody Runs.” Decent sound, but kind of a snoozer. Some good movement, but by the end, I was kind of aching for them to break out of the arc formation they’d held through the first two songs.

Mike S: “Everybody Runs” had particularly strong vocals, with an exceptional solo.  The other members of the group also provided impressive, full-sounding backup vocals and vocal percussion. The choreography was the only area that could have used a little more movement, but other than that, it was a very good performance.

Mike C: Third came Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around…” Some tight choreography with a good slide move and a nice recurring spread out and re-cluster move at the choruses. Good level of energy and movement in general. All in all, the set was quite good—not amazing, but highly polished, and solid. I think it would have had more of an impact on the crowd had the guys performed earlier in the night, which they, of course, could not help.

Mike S: I thought the Justin Timberlake  song was definitely a good way to finish the set.  The vocals were what impressed me the most about this song.  The high notes, the low notes, it all sounded good, especially backed by rich-sounding backing vocals.  The choreography was an interesting mix of members of the group drifting away from each other to return again into one unit.  Somewhat simple, but it worked for me.

Set Summary:
1. “Starlight” by Muse
2. “Everybody Runs” by The Butterfly Effect
3. “What Goes Around…” by Justin Timberlake

Mike C: Deep Treble came back out to entertain the crowd while the judges deliberated. OK performance as they wove their way through Ben Folds’s “Landed,” Del Amitri’s “Roll to Me,” “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, “This Is How It Goes” by Missy Higgins and Jason Mraz’s “The Remedy.” Nothing particularly noteworthy, good or bad. Decent filler.

A for Effort took over from there was some improv games. The guys ranged from really funny to downright dull. I give them all the credit in the world for rolling with the punches and keeping their energy up, even as the crowd began to thin and lose interest. I’m not sure I’d want to see improve regularly at my a cappella shows, but it was a decent enough way to pass some time, and good attempt at something different.

As for judging the show, I must admit that I was pretty torn. At first, I had Casual Harmony placed first based on energy and movement. Giving it some further thought, though, I would ultimately have to give Ithacappella the duke. They broke free from the clichés of an ICCA set, kept the energy sky high, and sounded good in everything they did, which I just couldn’t say for the guys from Rutgers. I originally placed Shades of Blue third in my personal rankings but going over my notes, it occurs to me that the set was flawed enough that they may not have deserved such a high mark. Don’t get me wrong, because I did enjoy their set, and credit them for persevering with their unique performance style. Nonetheless, I would have to give the Chips the nod as the more solid group, all around, on this evening, and would have given them third place honors, and Penn State fourth. Just like the quarterfinals, I feel as though The Mandarins and The Originals were very tight, representing comparable quality in completely different ways. Mad Ave, as much as I love them, weren’t really in the hunt this year, and I don’t think Vocal Point did enough to break through to a new level.

The judges came back after an extended leave. Outstanding solo went to Shades of Blue for “Rain.” I was pulling for Nate Tao, but this certainly wasn’t a bad choice. Arrangement honors went to Ithacapella. Outstanding choreography was awarded to The Originals. While I was pulling for Casual Harmony to take that award, I was also happy to see The Originals not go home empty handed. Similarly, it was good to see Vocal Point earn some recognition, in the form of the Outstanding Vocal Percussion award. Casual Harmony finished third, and it looked like the guys were pretty disappointed not to be going on to New York. Shades of Blue were a bit of a surprise in second place, but I was happy for them, specifically given their lack of any honors at last year’s Rutgers show, where I would argue they legitimately were the second best group. But I digress. The rightful champions were Ithacappella, and the guys will make their first ever journey to the Finals in a couple weeks. The guys finished the show with The Black Crows’ “Hard to Handle” which transitioned into Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” then “Love in an Elevator.” Beyond each of the songs being classic rock, I’m not so sure about the thematic connection. Of course, at that point, who cared? It was time to rock out and celebrate.

All in all, it was a good show. We have ton of photos to show for it, featuring a selection from yours truly, and also some fantastic shots courtesy of Will Browar. They will be up quite soon on our Photos page—if they aren’t already up by the time you are reading this.

Mike C’s Picks:

Overall Placement:
1. Ithaca College Ithacappella
2. Rutgers University Casual Harmony
3. The SUNY Buffalo Buffalo Chips

Best Soloists
1. Ithacappella for “Isn’t She Lovely”
2. The Originals for “Run, Freedom, Run”
3. Shades of Blue for “Rain”

Best Choreography:
1. Casual Harmony for “Paralyzer”
2. The Originals for “Run, Freedom, Run”
3. The Buffalo Chips for “What Goes Around Comes Around”

Best Attire:
1. 36 Madison Avenue
2. Casual Harmony
3. The Buffalo Chips

Mike S’s Picks:

Overall Placement:
1. Rutgers University Casual Harmony
2. Ithaca College Ithacappella
3. The SUNY Buffalo Buffalo Chips

Best Soloist: Ithacappella for “Isn’t She Lovely”

Best Choreography: The Originals for “Run, Freedom, Run”

Best Vocal Percussion: Vocal Point for “Downfall”

ICCA Official Results:

Overall Placement:

1. Ithaca College Ithacappella
2. Penn State University Shades of Blue
3. Rutgers University Casual Harmony

Outstanding Soloist:  Shades of Blue for “Rain”

Outstanding Choreography: The Originals for “Run, Freedom, Run”

Outstanding Arrangement: Ithacappella for “Welcome to Paradise”

Outstanding Vocal Percussion: Vocal Point