ICCA Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinals at Syracuse University
Event: International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal
Date: February 3, 2007
Location: Syracuse, NY
Syracuse University
Setnor Auditorium
Performers: Syracuse University Main Squeeze, SUNY Buffalo Royal Pitches, Ithaca College Premium Blend, Syracuse University Groovestand, Cornell University Absolute, Syracuse University Orange Appeal (not competing: Cornell University Chordials and Syracuse University Mandarins)
Official Results: See end of article
Mike C checking in here, and I've gotta say that I was amped to go to my first ICCA show this year. This show also boasted the unique element of showcasing three groups who call Syracuse home, which made for a lively crowd. The setting was the beautiful Setnor Auditorium at Syracuse University, and though the temperatures were sub-freezing outside, the night's six competing groups were prepared to deliver some red hot performances on stage.
Mid-Atlantic Producer Hayley Cammarata and Syracuse's Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs (and certified ICCA adjudicator) Roy Baker shared emcee responsibilities for the night.
The Cornell University Chordials served as the host group for the evening, and started the evening off with a fun cover of Seal's "Waiting For You." While I would have picked a more familiar tune from the group's deep repertoire, to draw the audience in more, the group nonetheless succeeded on showing off some decent chops.
As we get into the competing groups, I'll be assigning each set a completely subjective score. The basic breakdown:
* = Not so good.
** = Okay
*** = Good
**** = Stellar
***** = They rocked so hard I almost wet myself
Syracuse University's Main Squeeze took the stage first. The all-female a cappella group came out in red and black. Having seen this group perform on a number of occasions over the past few years, I can't help observing how much the ensemble has grown and matured. The group only started four years ago, and this was their first time competing. While their set wasn't earth-shattering, it was a very solid, respectable outing, of which all of the members can be proud.
Main Squeeze started with a Bjork's "Bachelorette." To be frank, I'm not a fan of Bjork, nor of this tune, but I can't deny that it was an interesting, memorable song choice. The soloist sold it well in voice and movements, and musically, it was a winner with good dynamics and good perc. I would have appreciated more activity in the background--not necessarily full-on choreography, but a little physical movement could have added some spice. The second song was "The Weakness In Me" by Joan Armatrading. Good soloist, but not much more to speak of on this one--the arrangement didn't grab me, and it was a ballad that didn't necessitate much movement. From there, the group covered Dave Matthews's "Baby." A really pretty tune, with more strong dynamics and an absolutely beautiful rendering of the last line of the song. Main Squeeze squeezed in (pun very much intended) a fourth song with The Fifth Dimension's "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." It was a fun song, but nothing spectacular. I had mixed feelings on the choreography. On one hand, it was great to see the group moving after three static songs, and I like it when a group throws inhibitions by the wayside, and lets a silly dance move rip. With all of that being said, the choreography was a little overdone here, and I particularly disapproved of the soloist pulling off the same awkward movements as the rest of the group. With few exceptions, a soloist shouldn't need to match the rest of the group's choreography--the soloist should be able to hold his or her own via pure stage presence. The best part of this last song came at the very end, when group spread out across the stage, doing the "wall of sound" thing and getting the crowd to clap with them. All in all, a decent outing from Main Squeeze. I give the set 2.75/5 stars.
The SUNY Buffalo Royal Pitches were up next. I saw the all-female group in competition last year, and they didn't do much for me, with a musically sound, but very blah set. This year's group was much less blah, but it was kind of sad to see how much less mature the group looked this time around. The choice of attire didn't help any here. Black tops and blue jeans--cool enough. Pink hair ties and way oversized pearl necklaces made a group of young looking college women look like middle schoolers playing dress-up.
To the Pitches' credit, they came out guns blazing, confident and clapping to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." I appreciate the way they handled this song, physically. By no means does a group need to have choreography for every song. Nonetheless, never underestimate the power of standing in an arc, snapping your fingers and dancing. The girls looked like they were having fun, and it worked. Midway through the Benatar song, the group opted to sample "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money. My, what a poor choice this was. For one thing, there was no thematic connection between the songs. In terms of song narrative, they're moving in opposite directions, from a song of women's independence to a song about going home to get busy. For a second, I thought it was a Pat Benatar medley, before I recalled that a dude sings the second song. I guess, in the end, the Pitches were looking for an '80s connection, but it just didn't work for me. Anyway, in addition to the thematic inconsistency, the second soloist was barely audible, and went a long way toward killing the group's momentum. Song two, Coldplay's "Yellow" didn't help matters. The soloist was decent. I can't quite understand why the group decided to have its percussionist stand off to the side--a strategy I only advocate if you're really going to shine a spotlight on that member, which clearly wasn't going to happen in this song. All in all, this one was a little too long, with nothing spectacular to speak of. One would think (and hope) that the group would spring back to life, turning in another crowd rouser like the Benatar tune to close the set. Instead, we got a really weird Red Hot Chili Peppers medley, covering "Parallel Universe," "Can't Stop," "Zephyr"--maybe another song or two? There were a lot of problems with this one. For one, it takes a very special women's group to pull off Chili Peppers--mature, strong, animated. This group didn't offer indications of any of these things. While some of solo work was good, other parts were pretty abysmal. Once again, the non-featured vocal percussionist stood off to the side, and only grew more distracting as two of the Pitches traded off on this position throughout the song. I appreciate that this year's song selections were much more animated and high energy than those of the group a year before, but man did this one get away from the women on stage. I'll give it a merciful 1.75/5 stars for a good first two minutes of the set.
Third up were Ithaca College's Premium Blend. I saw this women's group compete in a quarterfinal at Cornell last year. I remember being really impressed with them. The group has dropped off a little since then, but still came out prepared to compete in this outing. I wasn't wild about the outfit choice--black pants and whatever color or style of shirt you darn well please. I don't mean to harp on attire too much, but uniformity can really add something to presentation, and I was sorry to see it lacking here.
Premium Blend started their set with a more appropriate medley than the preceding act, showing a perfect easiness in their fusion of Spice Girls songs. While the piece would have been infinitely more relevant 5-10 years ago, it's still a fun selection for an all-female group. The energy was high, the soloists confident, and there was always movement in the background. The choreography wasn't difficult, but it was effective. The girls formed an arc for their second tune, and I was more than a little surprised to see them pull out Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek," the very same song they used in the middle of their set last year. This isn't something the judges, or most of the crowd could reasonably catch, but I'm disappointed when a group can't put together an all-new set between competition years. Anyway, the group carried out the song ably enough. Not the best arrangement of the song I've seen--I'll reserve that title for Syracuse's Mandarins), but not the worst either. Last up was "Take Me Home Tonight," and, boy were the Pitches' faces red. By pure coincidence, Premium Blend positioned itself well in this competition by performing the same songs as other groups, and doing a better job of it (more on this later). Good song choice, good soloist, good use of audience participation as they got the crowd clapping with them to end the set. Despite the faux pas of repeating a song from last year, it was a solid set. 3/5 stars.
Intermission time. Get up and stretch.
And we're back with Syracuse University's premier mixed group, Groovestand. Lot of Groovestand fans in the house tonight, and boy did the group look confident taking the stage. I liked the duds, venturing into black and white territory. This was a very impressive showing for Groovestand, but, having seen this group perform a number of times over the years, I was a little disappointed that each song they performed has been in the group's repertoire for at least a year or two. Not something the judges would likely notice, but I appreciate it when a group can stir it up with new material for competition.
Groovestand opened with Joan Osborne's "St. Teresa." How about that soloist? Easily the best of the night up to this point. This was a good, intense, off beat song, with a sick soloist and strong supporting cast. I specifically like the movements they put into the background of this one, subtle, but growing throughout the song. Second was "The Gulf War Song" by Moxy Fruvous. I would have been partial to a more traditional ballad here, rather than a song that skates between somber and comedic the way this one does. Points off, too, for an arrangement that's basically the same as the original song. Nonetheless, it was musically solid. The group redeemed themselves big time with Boyz II Men's "Thank You." It's impossible to communicate in written words just how much energy soloist Tinuke Oyefule and percussionist Andrew Kurman brought to this song--singing, dancing, beat-boxing, and generally outperforming anyone who had taken the stage to this point. Given their energy, I was a little disappointed with how little movement we got from the rest of the group, up until the end of the song. The free-style dance break that went down, coinciding with a sampling of "Motownphilly" worked well, bringing the set to a strong finish. Good stuff all around, despite a lack of original material. 3.5/5 stars.
The penultimate group was Cornell University's Absolute. Cornell has an absurdly strong a cappella program, featuring a number of groups that have made their way deep into the ICCA tournament in years past. Not being familiar with Absolute, I wasn't sure of what to expect here. I have to say, right from the start, this group wasn't working for me. Again, I hate to make too much of outfits, but Absolute got a little too cutesy, and not aesthetically pleasing enough in this case--the women in black tops and blue jeans, the men in matching blue collared shirts and black slacks. At least they tried.
Absolute kicked off its set with Radiohead's "No Surprises." Not a horrible song, but a poor choice to start a set. It's just such a downer, and there really wasn't anything special about the rendering here. Even the group seemed to grow bored with the piece, as it deteriorated musically as the song went on. And, another complaint on physical appearance--the group was *almost* symmetrical, alternating blue and black tops, but not quite there, with the soloist and percussionist throwing things off just a little bit, and annoying the heck out of me. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, second up was Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek." It's tough to watch a group take the stage with the same song performed earlier in the night, knowing that their rendition just isn't as strong as the one we heard before. One of the weaker covers of the song I've heard, and the physically stationary nature of the song made it all the more apparent that one of the women was conducting. More than the outfits (which were actually well aligned in this one) conducting on stage is such a distraction for the audience. Last up was Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary." This is a great song with which to end a set, and I credit the group for picking it out toward this purpose. Nonetheless, it was just too ambitious of a piece for this group to make it work. The choreography was awkward and off balance, the voices weren't strong enough to carry it. Right idea, wrong group. 1.5/5 stars.
Syracuse University's all-male powerhouse, Orange Appeal, competed last. As far as I'm concerned, this group is the best-dressed ensemble I've seen in all of collegiate a cappella. Black shirts and blue jeans for solidarity. Ties and chucks to add to the uniform, but different colors and designs all around for individuality. A perfect mix of professionalism and casual dress, for a really neat look. Enough on clothes. I've seen Orange Appeal perform many times, including the dynamite set that brought them a first place finish in the ICCA quarterfinals last year. While last year's set depended mostly on songs that had been with the group for years and years, it was refreshing to see the boys turn out a lot of relatively new material this year.
The group started with Deathcab For Cutie's "Steadier Footing." Love the tune, love the soloist, love the sound. Simple, short and solid, this was an unusual and good starting point for the set. From there, the group turned to Muse's "Time Is Running Out." Talk about your power transitions. Nothing could maximize this song's raw power more than preceding it with an emo ballad. Smart set choice. Nice rendering of the song, with subtle choreography, where you constantly had the feeling that the group had ten times the energy that they were actually letting show. My lone knock against this song is that it didn't live up to Rutgers's Casual Harmony's ultra-powerful, perfectly choreographed, masterful version of this song. Nonetheless, this was one of the best performances of the night. Next up was The Beatles' "Because." Quite frankly, I wasn't sure what to make of this one. It was a musically solid, difficult song. From the layman's perspective, I can't say I liked it. Ambitious, but weird. Last up was a new interpretation of a spiritual called "The Battle." In a word, wow. For me, few a cappella experiences are more enjoyable than seeing a musically gifted group let loose and have fun--refusing to take themselves too seriously, and singing their hearts out. "The Battle" was musically sound, perfectly choreographed, high energy and hilarious. Some may object to the group being as liberal as they are in their interpretation of a spiritual. I had no such qualms. Orange Appeal displayed a truly impressive range, moving from emo to hard rock to weird Beatles to spiritual in well under 12 minutes. 4/5 stars. With some work and some luck, this group could be a legitimate threat in the Mid-Atlantic semifinals.
The Chordials took the stage once more to entertain the audience while the judges deliberated. In my mind, The Chordials are a near-perfect host group. They are musically talented and entertaining. They have an exceptionally wide repertoire, performing selections from Rob Thomas, Snow Patrol, Evenascence, Tori Amos (their rendering of "Precious Things" was among the best songs of the night, period), Nine Inch Nails and many, many more. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, they were good, but not so good that they blew away the night's competitors. Take their three best songs, and they were very, very comparable to Orange Appeal and Groovestand.
With the judges still busy, an incomplete collection of Syracuse University Mandarins took the stage to sing "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)." Not bad at all for an impromptu performance, with several group members missing.
On to awards and the announcement of placement (all of which you can watch here). No huge surprises. No award given for Best Arrangement. This is the area in which I am least knowledgeable, and so I wouldn't have had a pick for this one anyway. I was a little surprised to see Groovestand pick up best soloist for "Thank You" over "St. Teresa," but I guess if you want to look at the total package--movement, stage presence and vocals, I can't really complain on this one. In the end, Orange Appeal takes first place honors and Groovestand finishes second, meaning the two Syracuse groups will both be moving on to Rutgers for the semifinals on March 24. Orange Appeal wrapped up the night with their encore, performing Billy Joel's "Movin' Out."
All considered, this was one of the better ICCA quarterfinals I've seen. Good show, and hopefully a good sign for the competition season ahead.
60 photos are available from this show by friending me on Facebook here.
A Cappella Blog Picks:
Overall Placement:
6. Cornell University Absolute
5. SUNY Buffalo Royal Pitches
4. Syracuse University Main Squeeze
3. Ithaca College Premium Blend
2. Syracuse University Groovestand
1. Syracuse University Orange Appeal
Best Choreography:
3. Syracuse University Main Squeeze, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"
2. Syracuse University Groovestand, "Thank You"
1. Orange Appeal, "The Battle"
Best Soloist:
3. Syracuse University Orange Appeal, "Steadier Footing"
2. Syracuse University Groovestand, "Thank You"
1. Syracuse University Groovestand, "St. Teresa"
Best Vocal Percussion:
2. Syracuse University Orange Appeal, "Time Is Running Out"
1. Syracuse University Groovestand, "Thank You"
Best Overall Song:
3. Syracuse University Orange Appeal, "Time Is Running Out"
2. Syracuse University Groovestand, "Thank You"
1. Syracuse University Orange Appeal, "The Battle"
ICCA Official Results:
Overall Placement:
2nd Runner Up: Ithaca College Premium Blend
1st Runner Up: Syracuse University Groovestand
1st Place: Syracuse University Orange Appeal
Best Choreography: Orange Appeal, "The Battle"
Best Soloist: Groovestand, Tinuke Oyefule, "Thank You"
Best Vocal Percussion: Groovestand, Andrew Kurman