ICCA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinals at Syracuse University
Event: International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal
Date: February 9, 2007
Location: Syracuse, NY / Syracuse University / Setnor Auditorium
Official Results: See end of article
Mike C here with some relatively abbreviated thoughts on the show. My viewing conditions were a far cry from ideal for this competition, and I anticipate having a guest contributor give a report from the show as well in the days ahead.
Syracuse’s own all-male Orange Appeal hosts the evening’s events. They start with Styx’s “Sailing Away.” Heavy on their trademark comedic choreo, killer soloist, kind of a thrown together ending to the song.
The Villanova Spires were the first competing group. First song was “I’m Taking You With Me” by Reliant K. Good energy level, important for the group kicking off the show. Nice effect at the end with the group with all but four group members dropping to the ground, then all going down. Could have been a little more sharply synchronized, though. The group rises together in starting to sing the next one—a kind of neat transition. It’s Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done.” Not thrilled with the soloist. A lot of movement in the background, at times distracting, at times too stiff. All in all, I think it’s the right idea with the wrong group. The group again used some of their physical positioning to transition into the next song. I like this as a way of adding continuity to the set, and shaving off some valuable time. Third song is 2Gether’s “U+Me=Us (Calculus ).” It was kind of funny, as you might guess, specifically when they physically spelled out the title of the song. Sadly, the song on the whole wasn’t funny enough, and the guys weren’t good enough to quite justify the time spent on this song. It’s a fun piece, but I don’t think I would have brought it to competition.
Set Summary:
1. “I’m Taking You With Me” by Reliant K
2. “What I’ve Done” by Linkin’ Park
3. “U + Me = Us (Calculus)” by 2Gether
Second up, we get the University of Pittsburgh’s Pitt Pendulums, a mixed group. Stomp routine to start. Lot of energy and attitude on that intro, but it didn’t quite make the transition into the music. First song was “All That She Wants” by Ace of Base. Decent solo. Good backing vocals on the finish. Next was Jason Mraz’s “Wordplay. The soloist could match Mraz in vocal speed, but his voice itself was pretty thin, and the group wasn’t doing much to back him up. Third, we get Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name.” I fear my view’s a bit tainted by seeing this song as part of an Orange Appeal medley years ago, but the song just seemed too big for the group, and I was waiting for more all around. Also, could have done without the guitar solo. Cute idea when the group goes, “What you did was just too cliché, that’s why this song needed a key change” and proceeded to go through a series of them. Not sure I liked it in execution, and specifically in competition, especially with how far they took it.
Set Summary:
1. “All That She Wants” by Ace of Base
2. “Wordplay” by Jason Mraz
3. “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
Up third were Albany’s Serendipity. The girls start with Christina Aguilera’s “Candy Man,” with four of the girls taking the lead up front, three harmonizing behind the soloist. I’m a fan of this song selection, but from where I sat, the girls didn’t sound so hot, and it didn’t look like the lead girls were really selling the movements enough to make them to work. Second was Ben Folds’s “We’re Still Fighting It.” I love the song, but I don’t know about the execution here. OK solo. Much more movement than necessary for a song this melancholy, and I’m not sure why they tried to make it so upbeat and up tempo on the choruses. Third was Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around Comes Around.” I would have liked to have seen the choreography less cheesy, more assertive, though there were a couple neat effects during the choruses, with the girls leaning and swaying. I worry they tried to cram too much in, though, and the movement didn’t really seem cohesive.
Set Summary:
1. “Candyman” by Christina Aguilera
2. “We’re Still Fighting It” by Ben Folds
3. “What Goes Around Comes Around” by Justin Timberlake
After the intermission, out come the Buffalo Chips. They started with Muse’s “Black Holes and Revelations.” Cleanest sound from the group, and best movement of the night thus far. I really liked the soloist here, but had some trouble understanding him. I think that’s a function of the mic or where I’m sitting, as I had some trouble with some of Serendipity’s set too. Next was The Butterfly Effect’s “Everybody Runs.” Decent sound, but kind of a snoozer. Some good movement at the end. Third? “What Goes Around Comes Around” 2.0. 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. This set wasn’t really out of this world, but the group’s level of experience in competition shone through as they just looked like they were in a different class from any of the groups in the first half of the show.
Set Summary:
1. “Black Holes and Revelations” by Muse
2. “Everybody Runs” by The Butterfly Effect
3. “What Goes Around Comes Around” by Justin Timberlake
Drew University’s 36 Madison Avenue was next. New outfit choice with all black dress clothes and different brightly colored ties. An improvement from the year before. They open with Rufus Wainwright’s “Instant Pleasure.” Soloist was good, but not great. Good energy from the group behind him. They sample 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. Second was Citizen Cope’s “Son’s Gonna Rise.” Good charisma from the soloist, and, again, good energy from the group. 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. Good emotion at the end, but I fear the musicality got away from them a little bit.
Set Summary:
1. “Instant Pleasure” by Rufus Wainwright
2. “Son’s Gonna Rise” by Citizen Cope
3. “Strangers Like Me” by Everlife
Last competing group was Binghamton’s Kaskeset. Couldn’t identify the first song, which I believe they sang in Hebrew. Ambitious choreography, but it was kind of stilted. Regarding the movement, you get the feeling the group’s trying to run before they learned how to walk. Next was Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s “When You Believe.” Pretty good soloist here. Some OK sounding body perc, though it didn’t really look natural. Binghamton’s Crosbys and Pegs use a lot of body perc too. Interesting to see how those things can spread. Last was “I’ll Cover You” from Rent. Quite toned down from the original version, which was a good choice. Odd choreography, which at times looked like quite formal partner dancing. The soloists grew on me throughout this one, though I could have done without their embrace at the end. It would have been bolder to have had two guys do this song, but that’s neither here nor there.
Set Summary:
1. Unknown song
2. “When You Believe” by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
3. “I’ll Cover You” from Rent
Orange Appeal performs while the judges deliberate. Songs include, Queen medley, “Stacy’s Mom,” “In the Still of the Night,” a really fun rendition of “No Diggity,” “Golden,” “How To Save A Life,” “She’s Got a Way,” “Steadier Footing,” and “Movin’ Out.” All in all, this Orange Appeal set gave a nice boost to what was, overall, a less than stellar evening of a cappella.
BOCA break. Was I wrong in observing that the crowd reaction to the BOCA recording of “Don’t Stop Believing” seemed louder than the reaction to any live song tonight?
On to the announcement of awards and placements. No huge shockers, and you can read the results below. The Buffalo Chips and 36 Madison Avenue will move on to the Mid-Atlantic Semifinals at Rutgers on April 5.
ACB Picks:
Placement:
1. Buffalo Chips
2. Drew University 36 Madison Avenue
3. The Villanova Spires
4. SUNY Binghamton Kaskaset
5. SUNY Albany Serendipity
6. The University of Pittsburgh Pendulums
Overall Song
1. The Buffalo Chips for “What Goes Around Comes Around”
2. 36 Madison Avenue for “Strangers Like Me”
3. The Buffalo Chips for “Black Holes and Revelations”
Oustanding Soloist:
1. The Buffalo Chips for “Black Holes and Revelations”
2. 36 Madison Avenue for “Strangers Like Me”
3. The Spires for “I’m Taking You With Me”
Outstanding Choreography:
1. The Buffalo Chips for “What Goes Around Comes Around”
2. 36 Madison Avenue for “Strangers Like Me”
3. The Spires for “U + Me = Us (Calculus)”
ICCA Official Results:
Placement:
1. The Buffalo Chips
2. Drew University 36 Madison Avenue
3. SUNY Binghamton Kaskaset
Outstanding Arrangement: The Buffalo Chips for "What Goes Around Comes Around:
Outstanding Choreography: The Buffalo Chips
Outstanding Vocal Percussion: Kaskeset