ICCA South Semifinal at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro
Lauren Barreiro is the music director of the Florida State University AcaBelles. This is her first review for The A Cappella Blog.
On Saturday night in Greensboro, NC I found it quite odd to be taking a seat in the Aycock Theater rather than nervously awaiting my group's turn to take the stage for ICCA South Semifinals. Having been there with AcaBelles just last year, I knew everything the performers were feeling and was almost nervous for them.
The lights lowered as the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Spartones took the stage with a Black Eyed Peas medley starting the show appropriately with "Let's Get It Started". The lovely Lindsay Howerton followed with the usual Varsity Vocals ICCA welcome and announcement of the show's order. It was Florida State University's All-Night Yahtzee, University of Maryland PandemoniUM, Clemson University Tigeroar, University of North Carolina-Greensboro Sapphires, University of Georgia Accidentals, College of William and Mary DoubleTake, The Georgetown Phantoms, and University of Florida No Southern Accent. As we awaited ANY's set, the emcee for the night, Nick Lyons, very appropriately instructed the audience on proper clapping techniques for each set- short claps between songs and thunderous applause as each group got on and off stage. All-Night Yahtzee, however, didn't even allow the audience to use their newly acquired skills.
With a seamless set consisting of a Lady Gaga mashup of "Bad Romance" and "Love Game", a gorgeous rendition of Peter Bradley's "Lay Your Head Down", and what was hands down the most adorable moment of the show, Hello Goodbye's "Here (In Your Arms)" as a duet between a male and female member of the group, All-Night Yahtzee set the bar for the following groups to reach. The first piece featured one soloist on the familiar "Ra ra ra ah ah..." of "Bad Romance" that fully embodied the attitude needed to take on Lady Gaga, however I found myself just wanting more in attitude, volume, and overall Gaga-ness from the second soloist singing "Love Game". The choreography was quirky and appealing but left me wanting Yahtzee to take up more of the stage. They're a large group and didn't seem to manipulate the space they were given to their advantage. The warm tone of the soloist on "Lay Your Head Down" really allowed for the message of the song to come through to the audience and was quite beautiful to listen to. What would have really taken it to the next level is if the group matched the soloist in his story-telling. Thoughtful choreography and use of sign language seemed to be the proper choice and was pretty to look at but lacked the emotion and commitment from each member to really pull it off. "Here (In Your Arms)" was a very smart choice on Yahtzee's behalf and was the only memorable moment in which any of the 5 mixed groups that competed used having both sexes to their advantage, also allowing the very intense group to become much more accessible.
The set, in general, was often bottom heavy and many of the intricacies of the arrangements were lost. However, percussive syllables, creative choreography, and the fact that no pitches were played through the entire set allowed Yahtzee to remain memorable throughout the show.
PandemoniUM took the stage next in very similar outfits to that of ANY, the very popular all black with splashes of red (the ladies of Yahtzee did sport gold, however). In fact, half of the groups on Saturday night all wore some version of a red and black color scheme, mostly consisting of the gentleman in solid red ties. I didn't even know there were that many solid red ties in the world and almost began to think that there is some company somewhere mass producing them just for a cappella competitions.
Outfits aside, PandemoniUM caught the audience off guard with an impressively loud and surprising first couple of measures followed by what can only be described as a pleasant arrangement and execution of "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. The soloist was most definitely the standout feature of the song, though a seemingly surprising and smoother choice than one would expect. Unfortunately, what seemed like arbitrary choreography really took away from the many "cool" musical moments in the arrangement. The group generally stayed in double arcs throughout the set, and would have probably been more successful musically had they not had random movement by only some members in and out of their respective places, during a rather long and unnecessary "instrumental section". The set continued with what seemed to be a strange choice of "Therapy" originally by India Arie. Once again, though the soloist pulled the song off quite well, the arrangement seemed busy and detracted from the overall performance while leaving me quite confused. The final song of the set, a mashup of Sufjan Stevens' "Chicago" and Coldplay's "Clocks", was by far the most interesting. With a trio heading the group, this song truly capitalized on the strengths of PandemoniUM. The arrangement was creative, the fullness of the group's sound was manipulated to their advantage, and the group finally looked like they were enjoying themselves.
Next we were visually attacked by bright orange blazers as the men of Clemson Tigeroar galloped on stage. Their energetic entrance fully prepared the audience for the traditional goofiness and antics of all-male a cappella. Before the group walked on, Nick Lyons told the audience that they were returning to the ICCA stage after a 5 year competition hiatus, however their set as a whole seemed more like I was watching their Spring concert 10 years ago.
While musically they were sound and mostly loud, they didn't seem to make any special accommodations for competition, as most groups do. Besides their unforgettable outfits, nothing really stood out. Tigeroar bopped to their own beat, had their fun, and was generally successful in their attempt to win everyone over with their undeniable Southern charm. The set began with Tommy Tutone's classic "Jenny (867-5309)" in which the most memorable moment of the set occurred when all of the men on stage busted out their cell phones and pretended to talk on them. Their second song was slower and seemed to be a ballad, yet while the mood should have changed the overall character of the group remained the same and had I not been able to hear the song, I very much would have thought it was the same genre/style of the first. Finally they ended with a slightly "pitchy" and anticlimactic arrangement of "Southern Girls" which, while charming, didn't seem like much of a closer.
Granted, Tigeroar was great at what Tigeroar does. Their carefree attitude was refreshing amidst the over-rehearsed and highly nervous attitudes many of the other groups brought to the stage, however most definitely seemed slightly out of place. Luckily for them, the resonance of all-male voices and lack of choreography allowed them to be better heard than many of the other groups that had to fight the sound setup with spacing and treble voices.
The only all-female group of the competition, UNCG Sapphires, was next and definitely held its own. Each member of the group was in the exact same outfit down to their heels which added a touch of class and professionalism right off the bat, though I wished they had incorporated SOME color in their all black outfits. Overall I feel like the Sapphs' set was one of the most creative and well-thought out of the night. They knew they had great soloists, an amazing percussionist, and sex appeal on their side and took full advantage of each.
Their first song, "Beautiful Liar" originally performed by Beyonce and Shakira, was a sizzling number featuring two soloists that absolutely tore it up with one of the most impressive lead performances of the night. There were, however, many times you could only hear bass, percussion and the soloists, and I really wish I could have heard more of the group. Next, they brought it down with an incredibly thoughtful arrangement of One Republic's "Say (All I Need)". Though some of the top parts were slightly out of tune and overpowering, the group as a whole totally convinced the audience of every word the soloist sang with beautifully emotive faces and simple choreography. The set ended with "Roxanne" originally by The Police but based around the familiar interpretation used in the movie "Moulin Rouge". With bass and a soaring soprano off to the side, this second duet of the set featured some of the most intricate choreography in the whole competition even including a Tango. However, the focus on movement did seem to lead to a lack of cohesiveness musically and ultimately detracted from the overall fullness of sound and musicality I have heard the Sapphires bring to the stage time and time again. One of the best moments of the set was when percussionist Jill Clark entered "Roxanne" with a bounding bass drum lighting a fire underneath the group that had seemed to be missing otherwise.
The first half was closed out by the gentlemen of UGA Accidentals. A quintet started the set with Michael Buble's "Comin' Home Baby" already establishing a difference in attitude of this all-male group. They did fall victim to the curse of red and black outfits, however their black dress pants and shoes with all matching black vests and red ties made quite a statement. After the rest of the group came on stage, the soloist for this first song was a bit timid but fully embodied the swagger of Mr. Buble by the end. A backup duet overpowered the rest of the group but was quickly fixed as the guys toed the lines of fun, corny, and over the top through extravagant choreography and facial expressions. That being said, it shouldn't have been such a surprise when the group stopped singing and percussionist Schafer Gray took the spotlight with an impressive percussion breakdown and some acrobatics of his own.
As the audience watched the group come down on their knees and into prayer position, I heard laughter as some expected the guys to continue their antics. Instead the Accidentals delivered a fairly introspective and beautiful version of Blind Boys of Alabama's "I Shall Not Walk Alone". Though the soloist was slightly pitchy and seemed to reach for many of the higher notes, the honesty and emotion he delivered allowed the audience to journey with the group. The song climaxed with a bone chilling build into a complete drop out as the soloist held on to a beautifully sustained note and forced a few wows and gasps to be heard in the audience. The guys then loosened up their ties, rolled up their sleeves, and abandoned anything they had just done to show off a very masculine sexuality with their rendition of the Beatles' "Come Together". The soloists and arrangement completely commanded the stage as Schafer showed off his skills once again with some of the best percussion of the night. Overall, I feel The Accidentals were the most successful in showing their many sides and were by far the standout group of this semifinal.
After a short intermission we were greeted by Nick Lyons blanking on the next group's name. It was DoubleTake, a mixed group from the College of William and Mary and yet another group in black and red, except they left it up to each group member to come up with their own outfit. So with a confusing mismatch of styles and outfits, DoubleTake went on to deliver one of the more middle of the road performances of the night. Overall, I have two things to say about DoubleTake. I had the chance to see the group at their quarterfinal and for some reason their semis performance just did not match up. Whether it was from nerves or the bigger venue, I continued to wish they had brought that same performance to the semis stage rather than the slightly out of tune and lackluster performance they gave on Saturday night. Second, I applaud the group for taking risks that most groups don't. It seems as if their music director/arrangers really challenge them to be creative with their musical choices and the choreography, while maybe not the most successful, also embodied this out-of-the-box thinking.
Their first song, an Imogen Heap piece, had a beautiful solo with an arrangement that was a little too "just like the original" for my taste. But it was the second song that really showed DoubleTake's "stuff". A fairly unusual arrangement of the standard "My Funny Valentine" with group solo and a funky breakdown section, was a choice that truly showed how the group was there to push the envelope. Unfortunately, the piece fell apart in its execution on stage and left me thinking "Ugh, but it was so good at quarters!" Their final piece, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" was full of good intentions but performed with not nearly enough soul. A few members of the group stomped and clapped in an attempt to cover up the white bread delivery of the song while the soloist awkwardly tried to convey its meaning. But trust me, while their performance was not the most impressive on Saturday night, DoubleTake is definitely a group to watch out for in years to come.
If there is anything the next group, The Phantoms, needs to do more of, it's singing homorhythmic choir parts. There were so many times in their set that the group stopped singing 10 separate parts and just went into these luscious choir sections with the most power seen on the stage that night. It was as if they forgot about their almost distracting mismatching outfits- the ladies wore all black dresses of varying lengths and styles while the gentleman wore black pants and nice blue tops of all different shades that left my eyes darting from teal to royal blue- and finally became a group.
Their first song was highlighted by a dizzying amount of step-touches, an ok soloist, and one of those gorgeous choir sections. It was in general an ok song choice that sounded great but not fun to watch. Whereas their second selection, John Legend's "If You're Out There" was far more thoughtful and featured an excellent soloist, definitely one of the best of the night. While the soloist himself did not command the stage, his voice took care of any sense of timidity and definitely did our aca-alum, John Legend, proud. Just as I thought The Phantoms showed us the best they had the word "Summertime" blew from this tiny girl's mouth and my jaw dropped. Let me preface this by saying I am all of 5 feet tall, currently the smallest in my group, and have a fairly powerful and big voice, but this girl amazed me and blew almost every soloist that had stepped on that stage out of the water. She had a power and stage presence that made her seem 10 feet tall. With that on top of a creative mash up of Gershwin's "Summertime", The Zombies' "Time of the Season", Melanie Fiona's "Give It To Me Right", and "Let the Sun Shine In", I was thoroughly impressed by a group I had almost never heard of before.
Finally, No Southern Accent ended the competition with a set fully comprised of songs by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They took the stage in jeans, black jackets, leather, and hints of their signature orange and blue to create quite an edgy image. The first song, "Phenomena", was missing a lot of middle voices, most likely due to spacing, but did have a saving grace...Mallory Zuckerman. As the front-woman of this first song, Mallory took up the whole stage and made me forget about everything I thought was missing on the group's behalf, proving that she is definitely made for the stage. After a performance like that, I expected similar quality for the next song. Unfortunately I was faced with "Maps". There was nothing generally wrong with the group, but the true mistake was that they did nothing in choreography or sound to distract from a so-so solo and rather long and boring arrangement void of any "special moments" or dynamics. I believe this was also the song in which one of the members of the group turned around and conducted the ending, which, while I understand that it helps timing, is one of my biggest pet peeves in general and especially in competition. NSA ended their set with "Zero". As the soloist held nothing back, the best part of this song and most of their set was their percussionist who definitely took control.
For some reason, it was incredibly difficult to hear much besides the solo, percussion, and bass during NSA's set, which did detract from their overall performance. Also, while I give full props to the group for creating a themed, fluid, and creative set and image and think that more groups should do so, I think it may have been a little too avant garde and inaccessible for the audience. It almost seemed like they built up a wall of "cool" and weren't going to let anybody in which took away a lot of the appeal of the theme.
As the judges deliberated the UNCG Spartones returned to the stage lightening the mood of anticipation and nervousness felt throughout the hall. I was delighted that they performed some of my Spartones favorites "Plane", their TV them medley, and "End of the Road" and sang along from my seat. As I watched I made my conclusions for the competition and felt The Accidentals were the clear frontrunner, All-Night Yahtzee would take second place, and there was a tossup between The Phantoms and The Sapphires for third with The Phantoms maybe edging the ladies out. I felt outstanding soloist would go to the third soloist from the Phantoms, outstanding choreography to either the Sapphires or Accidentals, outstanding arrangement to All-Night Yahtzee for the mashup "Bad Romance" and "Love Game" and outstanding percussion could have gone to Schafer Gray of The Accidentals or Jill Clark of The Sapphires. When the judges returned, Lindsay Howerton announced the results as follows:
Outstanding Solo: Richard Trent of The Phantoms for "If You're Out There"
Outstanding Choreography: Elizabeth Zombo of All-Night Yahtzee
Outstanding Vocal Percussion: Jill Clark of The Sapphires
1st Place: University of Georgia Accidentals
2nd Place: Clemson University Tigeroar
3rd Place: Florida State University All-Night Yahtzee
Overall, the show was great and lived up to my expectations. The Spartones came through with all aspects of hosting the competition, Nick Lyons was quite the entertaining emcee, Liquid 5th addressed many of the sound issues I have seen in shows before, and each of the eight groups that competed deserved to be at semifinals. While I did not agree with some of the results of the night, I am quite proud of the group that was chosen to represent my region in New York and know that they will put up a great fight. Now I can't wait to sit in the audience of Lincoln Center on April 24th to see who takes it all.