ICCA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal at Cornell University

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.

A quick summary of the show:

Host Group:
The Key Elements (Cornell University)

Competing Groups:
Kaskeset (SUNY Binghamton)
Phalanx (Elizabethtown College)
The Pointercounts (SUNY Potsdam)
Premium Blend (Ithaca College)
Soulfege (Lafayette College)

Unfortunately, there were four groups who could not make the event due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. They were:

The Ford S-Chords (Haverford College)
The Four Scores (Gettysburg College)
The Outskirts (Haverford College)
Shades of Blue (Penn State University)

The Key Elements, a mixed group out of Cornell, kicked off the show. There were 17 members in all, with the guys in jeans, sport coats, and ties, and girls wearing jeans and nice tops. They performed a rendition of “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers. While the solo (and at times duet) was very good, what really stood out in this performance was the vocal percussion. The backups were also strong, which made this an overall good start to the evening.

The first competing group chosen was Phalanx from Elizabethtown College. This all-male group of 10 arrived on stage in slacks, cardigans, and ties.

The group started their set with “Everything Falls Apart” by Dog’s Eye View. I really liked the song selection because it’s got the sound that’s appropriate for an all-male group. The group formed a semicircle during the song, and provided a very full backup sound. The soloist, on the other hand, sounded like he was holding back. He sounded in tune, but he just didn’t sound as impassioned as you would hope for this kind of performance. Overall, not a bad way to start the set.

The second song of the set was “Imagine” by John Lennon. This was easily one of my favorite performances of the night. The soloist managed to spin this song into his own, with a very unique sound, yet still maintain the subdued feel of Lennon’s original recording. The backups complemented the soloist well, and used sign language for the lyrics throughout the song. Everything came together well.

For the group’s third, and, in my mind, strongest selection we heard “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” The soloist and backups sounded very good. I thought it was interesting how the group incorporated lyrics from “Shout” by The Isley Brothers into the song. This, combined with stomps and claps, made for what would have been an entertaining end to the set.

Phalanx was not done, though. Shortly after, every group member ripped off his pants, revealing that they were all wearing tights. Just when I thought we might get treated to the latest riff on “Pants on the Ground,” the crowd was treated to Mel Brooks’s Robin Hood classic, “Men in Tights” complete with a hodgepodge of air punches, crotch grabs, and pelvic thrusts. (If I were playing the ICCA Drinking Game, I would’ve had to swig at this sight.) The song came to a close with every member bending over with his rear end pointed toward the audience. This was a memorable performance to say the least.

Soulfege from Lafayette College was up next. This co-ed group of 13 made its way to stage sporting dress pants and purple shirts for the guys and black dresses for the girls, for a very classy look.

The group started by forming a semicircle and singing “In My Life” by The Beatles. The soloist was incredibly clear, complemented nicely by sweet sounding backups. My only gripe about the group is that they could have been a little bit louder. This may be a result of the microphones as this wasn’t the only time of the night I thought that a group should have projected a little more. In any case, it was a nice start to the set.

The group continued on with Nickel Creek’s “This Side.” While this is a good song, I’m not sure I would have chosen this to follow the previous selection. After a slower, more serious song, I tend to like one that is more upbeat and likely to engage the audience. That being said, the solo and backing vocals were good, and the mixture of arm movements and shifting side to side made for a good visual presentation.

For their final song, Soulfege gathered together in the middle of the stage, almost as if they were in a huddle. Then, they began singing “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence. The solo sounded slightly pitchy to me, and the backing vocals were good, but soft. I expected a little more feeling given the nature of this song. This is not an easy song to sing well a cappella, so I applaud the effort, but I think a different selection would have suited the group better.

The next group up was Kaskeset out of SUNY Binghamton. This co-ed group approached the stage dressed in black and blue, with the guys wearing ties. Personally, I really liked this look. Simple, yet professional.

The group’s first song was “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins. Appropriate song choice for this group. The solo, backups, and VP were all slightly soft initially. However, all three picked up as the song went on. The group also threw in that trademark Binghamton body percussion (made famous by The Crosbys and Harpur Harpeggios), with members beating their chests and slapping their legs to amp up the percussion. Overall, a very good start to the set.

Kaskeset’s second selection was a traditional Hebrew song. For some reason, the group sounded like a more traditional choir to me during the song. That’s neither good nor bad, really, but just an observation. The VP fit well in the song, as did the choreography, which involved a two-line formation at times, with turns in either direction. I tend to like more mainstream selections by a cappella groups, but the group did a good job distinguishing itself here with a a good performance of a unique song.

The group wrapped up its set with “Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson. It was the perfect way to end the set. Not only did the soloist sound in tune, but she had attitude throughout the song. At one point, she pulled one of the guys in close by his tie, adding a fun theatrical moment to the performance. The rest of the group sounded full, which enhanced the overall performance. The most entertaining piece was at the end, at which point there were hip shakes, shoulder shrugs, and the guys tried to get the audience into it by singing “get on up” and clapping. (Again, I would be taking another drink at this point). Overall, I think this group has really improved over the years, and I was very impressed with this set.

The next group on stage was the Potsdam Pointercounts, who arrived in their traditional baseball jerseys. The all-male group looked very energetic. Knowing their reputation for strong performances, I was very curious to see what they would include in this set.

Ironically, they started out with Linkin Park’s “In the End.” To be honest, I have yet to hear a good a cappella rendition of any Linkin Park song. Unfortunately, I still feel the same way. While the backups were great and the VP was good (yet soft), the soloist sounded more like he was talking than singing. It was also a little pitchy at times. Again, I attribute a lot of this to the song selection, not the singer himself. The choreography was really good, with a lot of movement and posing.

The ‘Counts followed with “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men. I always like a serious, deep selection as the second song, so this was a good choice in my book. Add to that an exceptional solo, full and clear backups, and great energy from the whole group, and you have the makings for one of the best performances of the night. This received the loudest applause of the night for the competing groups.

To round out their set, the ‘Counts chose to sing “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas. The soloist was the same guy who fronted the group for the first song, but he shone far brighter in this context. In addition, both the backups and VP were right on. The choreography was equally, if not more impressive. There were chest bumps, kicks, arm movements, a praying-bow with the phrasing, “We are the Potsdam Pointercounts,” integrated into the song. Overall, it was a great way to end the set and leave the audience with a lasting impression.

The last competing group of the night was Premium Blend from Ithaca College. This group of 14 women came out looking good in black pants and skirts. As expected, they were well-received by the hometown crowd.

The girls started their set with “Everything is Alright” by Motion City Soundrack. The group began by stomping and clapping, then moved into the song. The backup sound was good, as was the solo and VP, but all three sounded much better as the song went on. It seemed like once they were in the groove, they ran with it. Good start.

The group then sang Guster’s “Two Points for Honesty.” The solo was right on. It was accurate, clear, in key, and loud enough. It was complemented nicely with the VP and the very good, full-sounding backups. The group leaned from one side to another in unison and then broke out into some dancing at points during the song. There was a perfect mix of vocals and choreography to make this a very good performance.

The group finished its set, and the competition with “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. Interesting choice to say the least. The group started in what looked like a huddle. They then began to sing. The solo was decent, with a good dynamic range. The backups and VP were pretty good. There was dancing at points throughout the song, and even an air cello. (The ICCA drinking game makes mention of air guitars. I think this had might as well count.) The song ended with the ladies raising their hands toward the audience. Not bad, but I didn’t think the overall set was good enough for the group to place.

Overall, I was happy with the show. Despite only having five groups perform, they all brought something different to the stage, which made for an entertaining evening. Overall, I thought The Pointercounts deserved to win, and would have placed Phalanx in second, with Kaskeset, Premium Blend and Soulfege coming in just behind them.

While the judges were deliberating, the Cornell Touchtones performed songs including ”Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry and “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. A sketch comedy group entertained the crowd for a while, then another Cornell a cappella group, The Hangovers took over. The group’s set was highlighted by an inspired rendering of Sean Kingston’s “Fire Burning,” and also featured old favorites like “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor and “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison.

No huge surprises from the judges, with The Pointercounts garnering recognition for outstanding soloist and choregraphy, Kaskeset getting the nod for outstanding vocal percussion, and Phalanx picking up outstanding arrangement honors. The Pointercounts won the night, and will be joined by Kaskeset in progressing to the Mid-Atlantic Semifinals.

Official ICCA Results:
Overall Placement:
1. The Pointercounts
2. Kaskeset
3. Phalanx

Outstanding Soloist:
The Pointercounts for “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”

Outstanding VP:
Kaskeset for the full set

Outstanding Choreography:
The Pointercounts for “Kung Fu Fighting”

Outstanding Arrangement:
Phalanx for "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"