ICCA Mid-Atlantic Semifinals at Rutgers University

On Saturday, March 26, 2011, Rutergs University played host to the ICCA Mid-Atlantic Semifinal. The event featured eight groups. Before we get to the review, a quick summary:

The Competitors:
The SUNY Potsdam Pointercounts
The SUNY Binghamton Crosbys
Syracuse University Groovestand
Penn State University None of the Above
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rusty Pipes
The SUNY Buffalo Buffalo Chips
Rider University VocalMotion
The SUNY Potsdam Pitches

Host Group:
Rutgers University Casual Harmony

Photos from this event will be available shortly on our Facebook page.

Rutgers University Casual Harmony opened the night with a stellar version of David Cook’s spin on “Eleanor Rigby.” ICCA Director Dave Rabizadeh made the standard announcements, then brought out the night’s emcee, Austin Begley from Casual Harmony.

The first competing group was Potsdam’s Pointercounts. The guys cast off their traditional baseball jerseys in favor of black shirts, blue ties, and jeans, for a more formal, if slightly less distinctive look. I’ve seen The Pointercounts throw down with some truly awe-inspiring performances in years past, but they made some poor performance decisions when I last saw them at the 2010 semifinals, so I was interested to see what they would bring to the table here. They opened with The Backstreet Boys’ “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely”. Off-beat, and sort of strange song choice, given the slower mood of the song and how dated the song is. Nonetheless, I did appreciate the decision to “play it straight”--not succumbing to the temptation to make this a silly spoof on an overwrought song, and instead translating the nineties-pop-ballad sensibilities into some genuine emotion on stage. Very nice, smooth solo, good perc, and some finely executed dynamics. Lots of good, subtle physical repositionings throughout the song. The ending had a big, almost epic feel to it—I started out feeling like this was more of a middle song, but by the end, I actually felt like this would make the most sense as a closer. In any event, despite the odd placement, The Pointercounts came out guns ablaze for a very solid start.

The ‘Counts carried on with “Rhythm of Love” by Plain White Ts. This was a much more relevant song choice, though a bit too similar in a cappella translation to the Backstreet Boys song to really make sense here. It’s good for a group to generate themes and an identity throughout a set, but a song choice like this is static enough to threaten a group with just getting tagged as boring. Nonetheless, taking the song on its own merits alone, it came across quite sweetly, more good understated motion, a good solo, and an excellent choral finish following a neat little explosion of sound at which the group spread across the stage. Good middle song—just a rough fit to follow the first tune.

The Pointercounts closed with Lady Gaga’s “Telephone.” Those who have followed The ACB this season will already have a sense of what I’m going to say here—Gaga by guys is played and if this trend carries into 2012 I’m going to have to ask such groups to stop singin’, stop singin’, I don’t wanna hear anymore. End rant. This was just sort of OK, and like so many all-male groups of late, I sort of felt as though The ‘Counts were depending on the humorous novelty of singing a Gaga song to get by on a middling performance. Too much mediocre rap, not enough singing on the solo here (though I will concede the guy had good breath control). Nice sound on the stomp body perc. This one circled the shark when the guys started out by transitioning from air monocles to real sunglasses, then jumped back and forth over poor Jaws when they revealed those sunglasses were powered with LED lights, and let-a-rip toward the end. Cute finish when the guys answering-machined the final lyrics and implored the audience to “leave a message after the applause,” but it was far too little too late to redeem this poor finishing song.

The second group up was The Crosbys out of SUNY Binghamton. I had last seen this group perform back in 2007 when they made it all the way to the ICCA Finals, so I had high hopes. They took the stage in their traditional blazers, collared shirts, and jeans. The guys opened with “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago, which transitioned to “Flash” by Queen. I’m not a huge fan of classic rock in a cappella, but the style fits well with The Crosbys all-male-power style. This is a group that makes moments based upon pairing volume with precision and this was an excellent song with which to showcase what they do best. Great falsetto on the soloist and fun fight choreography as two Crosbys tried to hit the “Flash” soloist only to find him impervious to every attempt. Nice use of stomp percussion (though they were the second group to feed into what would oddly become a theme for the night). Good opener.

Next up was Mr. Bungle’s “Retrovertigo” I would have liked something a little more distinctive from the first song choice, but it’s a relatively minor quibble here. Nice solo. Very good range of dynamics. The movement here was subtle, and better yet, really fit the music. Too often, groups choreograph just for the sake of choreography, or interpret the lyrics too literally. This was a fine demonstration of being visually engaging, but making everything fit the broader scheme of the music. Positively sick body percussion starting in the second verse—this is a Crosby trademark, and I really liked the application of the chest beats and stomps here. Excellent second song.

The Crosbys closed on Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky.” I appreciate it when a group steps outside its comfort zone, and I appreciate the fact that The Crosbys recognized they couldn’t afford a third song with such a similar overall sound and effect. With that being said, this just came across as weird. The guys took on most of this song chorally and choreographed it out the wazoo. Overdependence on the body percussion here. Some of it may have been a mic-ing or venue issue, but the guys just sounded thin on this one. The Crosbys are a power group, and need to find ways in which they can capitalize on that. While the choreography was ambitious and the group did some fun things with dynamics, I couldn’t help feeling that this song just did not represent what The Crosbys are all about—it was the guys pretending to be another group, and that did not serve them well. This was an unfortunately weak close to set that I had hoped, and honestly felt was on its way to being something special.

Syracuse’s Groovestand competed third. The mixed group came out in black formal-ish wear, with white ties, suspenders, belts and undershirts. Nice look. They opened with Sara Bareilles’s “Uncharted.” Nice, unique tone on the solo—very fast, and yet well controlled. Nice backing solo, good percussion. The group did a good job of moving and remaining visually engaging without actually choreographing. I would liked to have heard the group mix this one up a little more and make a bigger crescendo on stage, or spread out to make a visual moment. As it was, though, this was a solid opener.

The group followed with Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River.” Nice, almost spiritual lead-in, followed by some slick cymbal percussion leading into the meat of the song. The group moved together in slow motion and the soloist quite literally pirouetted to kick things off in a remarkably captivating visual fashion. Unfortunately the solo was just OK in terms of sound. The group sounded mostly good, but the real story of this song was the choreography, including the group circling around the soloist, and the stomp-thigh slap routine. The group sampled Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor” which allowed for a taste of a signature Groovestand power solo, that was striking, if a little sharp for a second. This culminated in a mashup of the two songs. All in all, there was plenty right about this song, and in its most polished form, I imagine it would be exceptional. As it stood, it was still quite good.

Groovestand closed on Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but I sort of loved this as an aspirational song choice for an ICCA set—an anthem for a group striving to reach the Finals in New York. Neat stuff. Outstanding female solo on this one—great tone, nice range of dynamics, good control, just fantastic sound. Nice, if sort of simple, sound from the group. This is a contemporary, memorable song choice, and I was excited to hear what would happen when they upped the tempo. The group sounded great, the percussion was very good and the rap—well, the rap just wasn’t as good as I wanted for it to be. That’s not to say it was bad, but if you’re going to bring a rap to the Semifinals or Finals it generally needs to sound like legit, professional-level rapping. This exceeded the lackluster white guy rap I was afraid we might here, but it still was still high profile enough in the song, and not strong enough, that it kept the group from leaving the stage on its highest note.

Next up was Penn State’s None of the Above. The mixed group came out in brightly colored tops and black pants for a fun, vibrant look. They started with “Firework” by Katy Perry. Nice, full sound, very good bass part, excellent percussion. I liked the soloist’s tone and body language, and she across with better control in this outing than she demonstrated in quarterfinals—holding back before she let her voice get too big. Nice adjustment. This performance served its purpose in establishing None of the Above as a high energy, high power group.

The group followed with a mash up of Diddy’s “Coming Home” and U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Sick bass and very good vocals on both ends of the solo. Here’s the problem. It’s perfectly sensible for groups to orchestrate mashups, medleys or samplings when the songs involved have thematic, melodic, or even artist connections that create a coherent narrative. Maybe I’m missing something, but these songs are not related. Outside of the very first transition to the U2 song (which was pretty electric, if just for the quality of that second solo) this song just came across incoherent and uncomfortable. Poorly conceptualized use of the talent at hand.

None of the Above wrapped up its set with A-Ha’s “Take on Me.” Don’t get me wrong—I love the song, but I do have to question the song choice. If you’re going to pick a dated, and conventional song, I’m expecting an original take on it, and/or a simply awe-inspiring performance. To the group’s credit, this was quite good—just not awe-inspiring. Nonetheless, a nice solo with a fine job on the falsetto on the choruses. Nice visual presentation with a lot of rearrangement, climaxing in a crescendo that peaked with the group standing in a line, creating a wall of sound. At one point, the group settled into a slow groove, at which point I was hopeful they were going to transition to something innovative—but it wasn’t to be. They just went right on with the song. Weird moment. Anyway, nice finish with the group hitting all the right notes and forming two groups, looking off to either side of the stage with the soloist peering straight forward. Good end to a good set.

Intermission time. Get up and stretch.

RPI’s co-ed Rusty Pipes opened the second half. The mixed group came out in red and black semi-formal wear for a good look. They opened with “Feelin’ Good.” This was the first act of the night to really go way overboard with the choreography—they didn’t look bad, but it was the sort of performance in which the group seemed deadset on having a move for every line, without any concept of telling a cohesive visual story. Decent solo and overall sound. Like most groups that night, they resorted to stomping percussion, which was mostly good, though it made for a strange audio effect when they started stomping in a wave, working their way across the stage to different group members—the women stomped much more softly than the guys for what amounted to an unintentional decrescendo. All in all, a middling open to a set at the semifinal level.

The Rusty Pipes followed with Maroon 5’s “Last Chance.” The group retained a sort of jazzy sound, which isn’t my favorite for a contemporary a cappella group, but at least they were developing an identity. Good use of dynamic range on this one, and fairly good work on the percussion and solo. Cute posing on the finish, to close out an OK middle song.

The group launched into a military count off, hum, then percussion to kick off “I Shall Be Free” by Kid Beyond. Nice bass sound on the solo. One of the best uses of stomp that night when the groups used it as a catalyst to spread out across the stage, though, later in the song, the stomps fell a little out of sync. This was a good choice for a song to end on, marking a decisive departure from the preceding songs, and coming out strong and distinctive from other groups that night. Nonetheless, the group still didn’t seem to ever arrive at its moment to really capture the imagination of the audience. Good closer.

The sixth competing group of the night was SUNY Buffalo’s Buffalo Chips. The guys came out in black vests and slacks with royal blue shirts and white ties. I like the addition of the vests to last year’s duds—it adds a bit more sophistication to the look and makes the white of the ties a bit less shocking to the eye. The guys opened with “Grenade” by Bruno Mars. Very nice sound from the very beginning, featuring excellent percussion and a very good solo. The choreography was a little excessive, but fun and well-executed, including a neat slide move. The song felt a little long, but otherwise functioned as a fine opener that really showcased the group’s talent and institutional experience in ICCA competition.

Next up was Coldplay’s “Lover’s in Japan.” I felt the soloist was OK, but I wanted to hear a little more texture and emotion out of him. What I noticed even more this time than when I heard this song at quarterfinals was the complexity of the arrangement and the stellar execution thereof, at once pulsating and precise. Well executed. Great perc again to boot. It’s an off-beat choice for a middle song, but it served the group well.

The Chips wrapped up with “Breakeven” by The Script. Stellar performance. Scintillating solo that succeeded in delivering the emotion of the song, while maintaining fantastic control—never growing too big, never lurching toward the point of yelling (though I’d argue he could have gone a little more nuts on the finish—a minor quibble). Excellent percussion again. Great use of dynamics by the group throughout the song to help deliver the drama. The choreography was mostly good on this one, though still a bit excessive. This is where groups will only benefit from thinking about the song and what their visual presentation is doing to enhance the music. As I said after quarterfinals, this song and, to an extent, this set, represented the best I’ve ever heard of The Chips. Better yet, while the set wasn’t perfect, they did stand tall as the only group up to that point not to have any serious missteps in song selection or execution, a particular contrast to their all-male counterparts in the first part who really disappointed on their closers.

The seventh group to perform was Rider University’s VocalMotion. I do want to address a small elephant in the room that--despite liking this group’s performance in quarterfinals a great deal, I did give them a very hard time in my review for set structure and song choices. While they didn’t fix every problem I had (we’ll get to that) I’d be remiss not to praise the group right off the bat for making some very smart revisions to the set that ultimately yielded a much stronger collective representation of the group. My hat’s off to the group for not resting on its laurels, really stepping it up in response to a higher level of competition. The group opened with a song I did not recognize that I can best approximate as an African chant. Very full, very clean sound. They kept this short and simple, and if the group was going to go for a five-song set, I wholly approve of using a song like this that feels like more an introductory snippet than a full song.

The group transitioned to “Feelin’ Good.” We had already heard it once that night, and I generally feel like this song is pretty played, but I will credit the group for using it is a platform for a very strong soloist. Full sound again and very good percussion. The group wrapped this one up with a sample of “My Favorite Things” which wasn’t entirely necessary, but served as a nice platform through which to spotlight Richard Crandle, the director and star vocalist of the group who rose to a cappella universe fame on The Sing-Off.

Next up was Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy.” Lots of subtle repositioning in the background, which worked quite well for the song. I liked the way in which the sound built throughout this, and particularly enjoyed when the soloist let loose on the choruses—better control here in the semifinals, too—maybe it was a conscious decision, maybe it was just the acoustics, but the solo never reached the point of sounding like yelling this time around, just big, powerful, emotional vocals.

VocalMotion’s fourth song this time out was Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” I could sit around complain about them carrying on the similar melancholy tone from the previous song, or about how the group still shouldn’t have tried to fit five songs into twelve minutes. I could gripe about these points, but I’d rather sit back and applaud two minutes of sheer a cappella beauty. Richard Crandle delivered the solo of the year from what I’ve heard thus far in 2011, and the sound of the group’s harmonies was borderline awe-inspiring. Nice dynamics. A simply fantastic piece all around, and yet another moment at which you can’t help but be amazed by the fact this group has been around for less than half a year. Simply stunning.

VocalMotion came back down to earth on its closer, “Shot Through the Heart” by Bon Jovi. Good solo and perc, and the group did show signs of polishing since quarterfinals, but, all considered, this remained the weakest song of the set, and a poor and unnecessary closer. The sample of “Telephone” was a nice little touch to make the song more relevant, but it was still just kind of meh. The lowest note on this was the visual presentation when the group's collective fist pumps came across so unremarkably, really just underscoring how few people were on stage, and how physically small they looked. The big, clean sound of the group masked these facts up to that point, and it really served to emphasize why the group would better served with fuller realizations of a smaller number of songs. This song did not take VocalMotion out of the conversation for who should advance to Finals; it did, however, foster there being a conversation, rather than just pushing the group right through to the Mid-Atlantic crown.

The final competing group was The Pitches out of SUNY Potsdam. The group wore black blue and silver formal wear for a sharp look. They switched things up from quarterfinals, opening their set with “Dancing” by Elisa. Very nice, high solo, and nice choral sound from the group. Well-executed transition to a fuller sound in the second verse. The song was a little odd for an opener, but given where they were going with the overall structure of the set, I think it was a bold choice that paid off well, starting on an emotionally rich chord en route to their second song.

The Pitches followed with Katy Perry’s “Firework.” Solid performance all around, with a very good solo and perc. The choreography was sharper this time and out, and watching from stadium-style seating, I had a better chance to see what the group was really going for, circling the solo almost in the form a firework, before the group members spread their hands open to further the simulation. A little cheesy, but still a creative and mostly successful visual. I really liked the decision to move this to the middle of the set, which set The Pitches up well to end on their strongest musical piece.

The Pitches closed out their set with Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy.” There was a lot to like about this song. The group arrived at some pretty spectacular harmonies, and made good use of their relatively even gender split, keeping the men and women apart, then having them interact at key moments. At quarterfinals I lauded the stunning quality of the solo, but also pointed out that the soloist’s classical tone was not befitting of the song. It’s strange that this time out the solo did not come across sounding so classical—or quite as good. Maybe it was a matter of the venue. In any event, a strong performance that culminated in a lengthy sample of Alanis Morrissette’s “You Oughta Know.” In my quarterfinal review, I lauded the creativity of this transition, before multiple commenters pointed out that this is a mashup Beyonce herself has put into play in live performances. OK, so a few points off on creativity, but the fact remains that the group sounded great, and the atmosphere was positively electric on this transition. Very strong closer to sure up The Pitches’ place among the top groups of the night.

Deliberation time. Casual Harmony got back on stage to perform a range of songs, many of them classics from the CasHarm catalog, including their own rendition of “25 or 6 to 4,” “Part of the List,” “Give a Little More,” “Use Somebody,” “Aerials,” “Champagne High,” “Over My Head,” “Shake Me Like A Monkey,” “You and I,” and one of my all-time favorites from this group, “Through With You.”

As Casual Harmony asserted themselves as competitive with any of the night’s competing groups, I reviewed my notes and made my picks for the evening. None of the groups made a poor showing of it. The Crosbys, Groovestand, and The Pointercounts all made a real case for placement. They each performed very, very well, but each also had a fatal flaw of sorts that surfaced in their final songs. The Pitches put forth a more consistently strong performance than the aforementioned three groups, but lacked a certain wow factor. When it comes down to a question of who deserved to advance to The Finals, though, the field narrowed to a two-group conversation. You had The Buffalo Chips who, like The Pitches, performed a top-to-bottom solid set, but did so with a bit more complex arrangements, outstanding percussion, and the “it” factor well in place. The other group that made an unmistakable bid for The Finals was VocalMotion, which really stepped it up from quarterfinals, and achieved moments of sheer brilliance—though they also fell back to earth on their closer. You want the very best moments of the night, you go with VocalMotion. You want the most consistently outstanding set, you go with The Chips. In the end, I just barely gave the nod to VocalMotion, in part just because I was intrigued about how the group might develop even further with another month to prepare and adjust before The Finals.

In the end, The Pitches placed third, VocalMotion took home second, and The Chips repeated as Mid-Atlantic Champions. Can’t really argue the point. The Chips performed an encore of Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You,” much to the entertainment of the crowd.

Excellent semifinal. VocalMotion and The Pitches will each get a second chance in the ICCA online wildcard round. The Chips have already shored up their spot in New York.

Be sure to check back at The ACB tomorrow for a review of The Northeast Semifinals, and check back in April to see what we have to say about The Finals.

ACB Picks for the Night

Overall Placement:
1. VocalMotion
2. The Buffalo Chips
3. The Crosbys
4. The Pitches
5. Groovestand

Best Soloist:
1. VocalMotion for “Landslide”
2. Groovestand for “Empire State of Mind”

Best Vocal Percussion: The Buffalo Chips

Best Choregraphy:
1. The Pitches for “Firework”
2. Groovestand for “Cry Me A River”
3. The Crosbys for “Mr. Blue Sky”

ICCA Official Results

Overall Placement:
1. The Buffalo Chips
2. VocalMotion
3. The Pitches

Outstanding Arrangement: VocalMotion for the full set

Outstanding Soloist: Groovestand for “Empire State of Mind”