ICCA South Quarterfinal at Clemson University

Stephen Hutchings is the music director of The UGA Accidentals. This is his first review for The A Cappella Blog.

This past Saturday night I had the pleasure of being seated in the back of Tillman Hall Auditorium in Clemson, South Carolina awaiting the South's (and my own) first ICCA event of the year. Although the Accidentals are not competing this year, as the lights lowered, I found myself feeling the same nervous excitement I had the year before and was secretly wishing to be backstage with the groups and share their excitement.

First up was the host group, Tigeroar, from Clemson University. These guys fully embrace the energy and goofiness that embodies all-male a cappella and came running on to start the show in their orange bow ties, white shirts and purple pants. Tigeroar opened their set with “Somebody's Baby” by Jackson Browne, and while all members of the group were smiling and singing to the audience, there seemed to be a general lack of actual vocal energy from the group. The song had tuning and balance problems throughout, the bass was entirely too loud and pitchy, and during the long verses the guys stood in a double arc and “aca-bopped” which just came across as awkward during competition. Throw in an average solo and you have a song that while probably fun during a concert, did not make the statement you want to make to start your competition set. The guys moved into “Never Say Never” by The Fray for their second song. The soloist was really the standout on this song, and while pitchy, he really helped bring the song to life with his raw, emotional take on the song. Unfortunately the group never matched his energy and a lack of dynamic contrast and tuning problems didn't allow the song to develop as I would have liked. Tigeroar finished their set with “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. FINALLY they seemed to enjoy what they were singing! The guys threw all of their energy into the song complete with some silly, funny choreography. Good solos, good VP. “Dynamite” is a song typical of a Tigeroar show, and they performed it like they've been doing it for 5 years, but I felt like the general lack of energy from the first two songs hurt them too much.

Next up was Tigeroar's sister group, Take Note, also from Clemson. The Take Note ladies came in wearing purple or orange tops, black spandex pants, and brown boots. I have to say, taking my natural bias to see female groups over male groups into consideration, I much prefer the outfits of Take Note over Tigeroar. If you're going to rock your school colors, and those colors happen to be orange and purple, then take a page from Take Note. Their biggest problem was their lack of a really loud volume when they needed it and a lot of it had to do with staging the singers too far away from the mics when they got to the point in the song that was the climax. In fact, during either the last chorus or ending of each of their three songs the singers spread into a line that while visually powerful, made the ladies too far away to be heard well. Their first song was “American Honey” by Lady Antebellum and was a solid choice for an opener. The soloist sang sweetly and the group was fully engaged in the message she was delivering. Later in the song, was a nice moment when they played air instruments during the breakdown, but the song never really went anywhere; each verse and chorus were the same feel, same rhythm, and same dynamic. The large amount of step-touches didn't help change up the monotony. Take Note moved into a version of John Legend's “Ordinary People” for their second song that had many of the same problems as the first: the soloist never really owned the solo and the arrangement never really went anywhere. Finally, they concluded their set with “Let's Hear It for the Boy” by Deniece Williams, a fun little 80s tune that was the group's best song by far. The group sang with energy and a little volume for the first time in their set, and their soloist really danced around the stage and had fun with it. Like Tigeroar, Take Note really seemed to only show what they were capable of in their third song, and that would probably not be enough to give them first.

Up third was The Cocktails from the University of South Carolina. These ladies came out in black shoes, black spandex pants, garnet tops, and black blazers. Their outfits looked uniform and sharp, and is a very good look for them. The group opened with “Seven Bridges Road” by the Eagles, and immediately brought a different energy to the competition that I had not seen up until then. A strong choral opening allowed them to show off their musicality, and they took us on a journey through the song. They then moved into “Russian Roulette” by Rihanna. The group started in a circle around the soloist and started with a thumping bass and some sexy VP, and when the soloist came in and really took control of the mood of the song, literally giving me chills. From there the song just blew me away: great dynamics, great choreography, and an arrangement that really allowed the group to show their abilities made this the song to beat. The Cocktails concluded their set with “Replay” by Iyaz . The song started with the ladies singing the first chorus in an intentionally way to chorally and then exploded into the real version of the song as they threw their jackets off to the side. A fun song and good closer, however, this version lacked the swagger the original possessed. Nonetheless, this was still a strong set.

Last up was Acappology from NC State, the only co-ed group of the evening. Each group member had a different outfit consisting of reds, blacks, whites, and grays in a style that could only be described as Hot Topic-chic. The group opened their set with Snow Patrol's “Open Your Eyes”. The song had great blend and dynamic contrast that made you just feel the tension of the group like they were about to explode with volume and energy in the chorus. Unfortunately, the buildup was far too long and the soloist was exposed in many places, falling flat several times. Their second and last song was “Ghosts n' Stuff” by Deadmau5, the most interesting and creative arrangement of the night by far. The group went full robot on this song, with thumping vocal percussion, crisp robot-inspired choreography, and vocal guitar solo so good I was looking around to see the actual guitar. The soloist never seemed in control of the song and was often overshadowed by what the rest of the group was doing.

While the judges deliberated in the back the Clemson University Steel Band came out to entertain the audience with a variety of crowd pleasers, from “Hot Hot Hot” by Buster Poindexter to “Transatlanticism” by Death Cab for Cutie. While they played, I made my choices for the awards. I felt like the winner was clearly either the Cocktails or Acappology, and that both would be making their way to the semifinals. However, the Cocktails put on a set that allowed them to show off the different sides to their group more effectively, and that would give them the edge over Acappology. For third and fourth place, I had Take Note and Tigeroar, respectively. I thought that the Cocktails would win best choreography for “Russian Roulette,” and that Acappology's second song, “Ghosts n' Stuff,” would win best VP and best arrangement. I thought the soloist for Take Note's “Let's Hear It for the Boy” would win best soloist. When the judges returned, producer Lindsay Howerton announced the official results as follows:

Outstanding Solo: Tigeroar for “Never Say Never”
Outstanding Choreography: The Cocktails for “Russian Roulette
Outstanding Vocal Percussion: Acappology for “Ghosts n' Stuff”
Outstanding Arrangement: Acappology for “Ghosts n' Stuff”
1st Place: The Cocktails
2nd Place: Acappology
3rd Place: Take Note

Other than some microphone and sound problems, the show was great and met my expectations. The Clemson University Steel Band was entertaining and I felt like the judges did a fantastic job giving awards to the best and most deserving, and both groups moving on to semifinals March 19th have a good shot at being crowned South Champion and moving on to NYC in April.