The 2009 ICCA and ICHSA Finals

Mike Chin checking in here after the ICCA and ICHSA Finals in New York this weekend. The show took place in Alice Tully Hall at The Lincoln Center. Simply put, this was a top-to-bottom solid show. Each of the competitors seemed to “belong” at the finals level, and things were quite competitive all night long.

First off, I must recognize the ICCA and ICHSA production staff, and, in particular Amanda Newman, the executive director of Varsity Vocals. These tournaments get bigger and better each year, and this year’s finals show was a demonstration and culmination of all of the hard work that goes into organizing these events. On behalf of the a cappella community, thank you to Amanda and company for their fantastic efforts.

Second, I will note that MTV had a pronounced presence at this show, which I had mixed, but ultimately positive feelings on. I’ll get to that later in the review.

Before we get to the review, a quick summary of the show:

High School Competitors:
Cheyenne Mountain High School Crimson
Pioneer High School Soulfege
The A&M Consolidated High School Eighth Notes
Haddon Heights Baptist Regional School Vocal Forte

Collegiate Competitors:
Oxford University Out of the Blue
University of the Free State Marjolein
The Yale University Duke’s Men
Ithaca College Ithacappella
The Florida State University AcaBelles
The Missouri State University Beartones
Mt. San Antonio College Fermata Nowhere

I’m a bit ashamed to admit that my ACB cohorts and I arrived in Alice Tully Hall a bit late, missing an opening performance from Treble NYC, an all-female post-collegiate group that I heard was quite stellar. We entered midway through Cheyenne Mountain High School Crimson’s set. Crimson is an all-female ensemble that I had had the pleasure of seeing perform at each of the last two years’ ICHSA finals, and, in my humble opinion, they just get better with each passing year. The girls were singing Lisa Loeb’s “Stay” while I waited outside the doors for a break in the music, and sounded quite good on it. I joined the audience for “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” originally performed by Elton John. Nice harmonies here, and some good subtle, visual rearrangements that kept it interesting, though the side to side hip sways didn’t really fit the song—it felt like they were trying to be sexy, when I think of this as a more innocent love song. The blend fell apart a bit at the end, but all in all, it was a good song. Crimson closed with Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher”—a long time personal favorite. Very good energy from the girls here, and a good level of charisma from the soloist. The group got the crowd clapping at the end to finish on a high note.

Set Summary:
“Stay” by Lisa Loeb
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John
“Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson

Next up was was Haddon Heights Baptist Regional School Vocal Forte. It was a 23-member mixed ensemble, all in black and gray. The group opened with Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten,” positioned in three rows—one standing, one kneeling, one sitting, with the soloist standing alone up front. The sound was pretty good at the start, but I was a little distracted with the over-choreographing. On a road trip to see an ICCA show, I remember once making up ridiculously over the top choreography for this very song—from ‘open[ing] up the dirty window’ to ‘reaching for something in the distance’—and was kind of horrified to see many of these moves recreated on stage. It’s exceptionally rare that it is a good idea to choreograph your song line by line, unless you’re consciously trying to be over the top. Beyond this visual distraction, the group let its movement affect the music before long, starting a clap that the crowd just didn’t bite on, given how early it came in the set, and falling a bit out of synch with the step and clap move that followed. It was just a bit too ambitious—especially for a group of this size. Power finish on the solo, though, to at least end this on a positive note. The next song went much more smoothly, with Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.” Rich, powerful solo on this one and a nice range of dynamics from the group, standing in a simple arc in the background. Vocal Forte closed with “Dare You To Move” by Switchfoot. They started with the interesting visual of an inward facing circle around the soloist, before moving around him, then giving the guy space to step out to the front of the stage. The group transitioned to a second soloist as they kicked off the rock part of this song. This led to a series of air guitar and shifting line movements that, while cheesy, were well-synched and actually came off rather well. Good perc on this one too, and the overall sound never suffered for a very strong closing tune.

Set Summary:
“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield
“You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban
“Dare You To Move” by Switchfoot

Next up were The A&M Consolidated High School Eighth Notes. Appropriately enough, they were a group of eight, four guys all in black with solid-colored ties and the girls with black tops with something written on them in glitter. They started with Alabama’s “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas.” Ton of charisma and confidence on this one for a very bold song choice that proudly represented where they group is from. This one was musically good, with some really fun choreography and showmanship to win over the crowd. Next up was The Beatles’ “In My Life.” Some nice choral work on the start here. The Notes transitioned into the realm of unnecessary movement here with a swaying move that looked a little awkward, and some cheesy handholding. At least they didn’t let it take away from the music. Very smart choice to end the song with a single soloist singing the last line. Next was “Zombie Jamboree,” a very fun little song, with some amusing movement. The group looked a little self-conscious in delivering it, but it was still a good time. Last came Rihanna’s “Disturbia.” The sound was a little uneven on this one. The group rotated through soloists, and threw in a ton of choreography, which was mostly good to close out a solid set.

Set Summary:
“If You’re Gonna Play in Texas” by Alabama
“In My Life” by The Beatles
“Zombie Jamboree”
“Disturbia” by Rihanna

All-female Pioneer High School Soulfege was up last for the high school groups. They came out in metallic green and blue tops (I would have picked one color and run with it, but it’s a minor quibble) and black bottoms. Good poise from the girls, greeting a whistle from to crowd with sassy acknowledgment, making it clear they were not intimidated to be performing on the big stage. The girls opened with Duncan Sheik’s “The Song of Purple Summer.” Nice choral blend here. I feel like I’m harping on movement a lot for the high school points, and I don’t mean to overemphasize it, but this set—and this song in particular—exemplified what can go wrong with choreography. Good visual presentation is all about not having the movement stand out. You make it organic to the song so that it seems like a natural extension of the music, and you do it with enough subtlety so the fans can appreciate it on an unconscious level—or, alternatively, notice it because it’s so exceptional they can’t help but applaud it. The movement here was elaborate, distracting and contrived. Fortunately, things got exponentially better in the next song, Kristen Chenoweth’s “Taylor, The Latte Boy.” This was probably the most exceptional high school solo I’ve ever seen, and would rival some of the better collegiate ones for that matter. Great vocals, simply excellent theatrics, with a psychotic edge—just great stuff. The stand out solo successfully masked how little was going on in the background—a bit of weakness here—but regardless, it was good enough to allow for a good song in and of itself. The girls ended on Dar Williams’s “Iowa.” This is one of my favorite songs of all time, and, ironically, one I listened to as I was driving up to New York. Nice series of soloists on this one, though, once again, I felt the soloists far outshone anything going on with the rest of the group, both in terms of sound and visual presentation. Good dynamic variation at the end though as they nailed a big crescendo en route to the climax of the song. They went for a choral finish on the close, which wrapped things up nicely.

Set Summary:
“The Song of Purple Summer” by Duncan Sheik
“Taylor, The Latte Boy” by Kristen Chenoweth
“Iowa” by Dar Williams

On to the collegiate competition, the all-female Florida State University AcaBelles made their finals debut, clad in pink and black, with dark jeans. Large group—seventeen in all by my count. They started with The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” Good solo, good perc, and they kept it short. Next was Ben E. King’s “I (Who Have Nothing) with a very strong solo and some well-synched movement. Some interesting moments visually, including a point at which the women formed a V with the soloist at its point. Another good solo in Sia’s “Breathe Me.” Nice breakdown in the middle with a lot variation going on in the background. Good percussion, and the drummer got a few moments to really shine. The solo built very well as the song went on, and there was generally a good range of dynamics, ending with a nice fade. The group closed with “Call Me When You’re Sober” by Evanescence. Ton of emotion on this one, especially from the soloist, though I worry she got a bit scream-y by the end. Good theatrical facials from the group on the whole, and once again, interesting visuals that felt natural to the piece. The AcaBelles established themselves as a power women’s group, which I find tends to play much better in competition than the ‘prettier’ sounding groups. Solid, solid start to the evening’s collegiate competition.

Set Summary:
“Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
“I (Who Have Nothing)” by Ben E. King
“Breathe Me” by Sia
“Call Me When You’re Sober” by Evanescence

Next up were The Beartones out of Missouri State University. The all-male group came out in black suits and an array of solid-colored shirts. They gave a theatrical intro before the soloist broke in and quieted them down, in starting Little Big Town’s “Boondocks.” Smooth sound, good perc, and absolutely sick basses on this one. The guys brought a real confidence to the stage and it made them appear larger than life at points. There was a false finish to the song, at which point the crowd began to cheer. The guys didn’t let it hold them up, carrying right on to a powerful finish. Next was “No More Walks in the Woods” by The Eagles. They had a very nice blend on the choral parts, and good sound overall. Good subtle repositioning moving from a cluster, to lines, to staggered lines, to angling out, to angling in, all very subtle, all just enough to keep from appearing stagnant. The group executed a seamless transition from this one to their closer. It’s a minor quibble, but a guy in the front reached into this pocket to take out the pitch pipe and give it a blow. I would have positioned that guy less prominently in the crowd’s eye, so it wasn’t so obvious what was going on. Again, a minor thing. The guys moved into a really interesting choral medley of Beatles songs, starting with “Let It Be,” transitioning to a slick rendering of “Come Together,” swinging into “Revolution,” revisiting “Eleanor Rigby” and closing on “Hey Jude.” I thought the guys really could have milked this close by getting the crowd clapping, but they went with a more subtle approach. Still earned plenty of applause for a polished and memorable set. I have mixed feelings on the decision not to have soloists on the medley, but I think it ultimately made the piece all the more unique, and served the guys well.

Set Summary:
“Boondocks” by Little Big Town
“No More Walks in the Woods” by The Eagles
Beatles Medley

Next up came Oxford University Out of the Blue. The all-male group came out in black suits with blue shirts and ties. The guys positively pulsed with energy, almost to the point where they appeared a bit nervous. That energy soon went to good use, though, as they catapulted into Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It.” Booming sound, high octane choreography, solid percussion, good solo. Above all, these guys really seemed to be having fun, which generally translates to the audience enjoying themselves too. Next was Damien Rice’s “Cold Water.” I found the soloist a bit dry for my tastes here, but there was a really good sound overall, and the guys made the wise decision not to do anything pronounced from a visual perspective. I found the backing soloist’s voice much more interesting here. Really pretty syllables on the start and end. The guys closed on Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally.” Rip-roaring fun here with a charismatic soloist, and motion that fit the song so well, complete with the guys forming a makeshift car around the soloist. Good sound and high entertainment value here that got the crowd-clapping along to close this set quite well.

Set Summary:
“Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel
“Cold Water” by Damien Rice
“Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett

Some groups are just different. They defy convention. They defy expectations. They look different, sound different, perform differently. Mt. San Antonio College Fermata Nowhere is one of those groups with a unique ability to distinguish themselves in a show full of champions—simply unique enough to be the talk of any show, regardless of where they go. The all-male ensemble took the stage in bright red custom jump suits, carrying with them a palpable energy, that had the crowd buzzing before they sung their first note. And I’ll be darned if these guys didn’t perform their hearts out. The set started with “Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes. Exceptional vocal perc, out of this world energy on the choreography, complete with cartwheels and dance moves you just don’t expect to see at an a cappella show. The guys got the crowd thunder-clapping right along with them, and, in a sign of just how hooked the audience was, had people clapping to the beat long after they stopped clapping on stage, straight through the end of the song. Next up was Secondhand Serenades’ “Fall For You.” Talk about your change of pace. Simply phenomenal solo on this one. The guy had an uncanny ability to be silky smooth, and yet still let his raw emotion tear through for a performance that was nothing short of beautiful. It only got better with a backing solo late in the song. The rest of the group was up to the task as well with a very full sound the full way through. I’d like to linger on just how good this song was for a few seconds more, and yet, I can’t resist the urge to move on to the main event. From “Heartless” to “Disturbia” to “Single Ladies” Fermata Nowhere quite simply tore the house down with their pop medley. From the theatrics of feigning a break-up phone call, to selling every movement full-tilt, to more acrobatic flips, and, most importantly, to keeping the music strong and fluid throughout the whole thing, this was quite possibly the most memorable collegiate a cappella song I’ve ever seen. The guys showed no fear and made no apologies, leaving everything on the stage, and closing with a beautiful choral blend. As I stood alongside many other audience members to give a standing ovation, I leaned over to my travel buddies, saying “These are your 2009 ICCA champions.” Not to get too far ahead of myself, but it was that clear at that point—it was going to take something incredible to top Fermata Nowhere.

Set Summary:
“Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes
“Fall For You” by Secondhand Serenade
Pop medley

I would hate to have to follow Fermata Nowhere. The Yale Duke’s Men, if nothing else, presented an interesting contrast to the preceding group. The differences were clear from the start as the guys took the stage in full tuxedos. That’s not to say these guys were stiff, though, opening with a fun rendition of Ben Folds’s “Gone.” OK solo, very good percussion. As I say time and again, I love Ben Folds, but rarely even like Ben Folds a cappella, and this one wasn’t a favorite for me either. Still, a serviceable start to the set. On to the Barenaked Ladies’ “What A Good Boy.” It’s rare for my feelings to vary quite so widely over the course of a single song, but while I started out kind of hating this, by the end, I was ready to declare it one of the five best songs of a strong night. At first, I wasn’t keen on the soloist, thinking he was far too prim and proper, enunciating every syllable too cleanly. Something strange happened as the song moved along, though. The emotion on this guy positively swelled. By the end, I felt as though he was channeling Michael Jackson, and I mean that in a very positive way. Great sound, palpable emotion and some neat riffs to carry this into outstanding soloist contention. Good sound from the group all around. Last up was “Umbrella” by Rihanna. Solid solo work, very good sound throughout the piece. Here’s a point of the show, though, at which I have no qualms about zeroing in on visual presentation. Though it didn’t really affect the sound, the choreography sold this as a comedy piece, complete with pelvic thrusts and silly hand jives. They got the crowd laughing for what could have worked as a very serious, very intense song. Take this sound and give it some Rutgers Casual Harmony style choreography, and you have a show-stopping closer, that I honestly feel could have placed these guys right in contention with Fermata Nowhere. As it stood, this came off as a relatively lightweight note to end on, selling the group short of what it was capable of achieving.

Set Summary:
“Gone” by Ben Folds
“What A Good Boy” by Barenaked Ladies
“Umbrella” by Rihanna

Next up was Ithaca College Ithacappella. The guys came clad in their traditional blue blazers, khakis, shirts and ties. They opened with “Soul Man.” Very good solo, lots of fun choreography, fantastic percussion—all of the recent hallmarks of the group were there. This is the sort of performance that will own everyone at the quarterfinal level, but wasn’t quite enough to stand out at the finals. Still, a decent start. The guys followed with “Say (All I Need)” by OneRepublic. This was the song to assert Ithacapella as a finals-level group. Simply fantastic solo here. Too often, a cappella ballads are just boring. The soloist here absolutely defied that stigma with raw emotion in his voice and visual presentation, mixing up the dynamics and showing some real stage presence. That’s not to take anything away from the rest of the group, employing a range of dynamics themselves, blending quite nicely, and remaining physically engaged, despite a lack of formal choreography. Last up was The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back.” This was the group’s traditional barn-burning, high octane closer. The arrangement was reasonably complex, and the sound was quite good. Once more, great VP, and some very tight choreography. And then there was the centerpiece of this song--the one and only Nate Tao. In a night of great soloists, Tao staked his claim to being one of the finest of all, singing beautifully and throwing in a bit more panache than he had when I saw this song earlier in the year. Solid stuff.

Set Summary:
“Soul Man” by Sam and Dave
“Say (All I Need)” by OneRepublic
“I Want You Back” by The Jackson Five

Last out of the chute came the ICCA’s first South Africa Champions, Marjolein out of the University of the Free State. The ladies came clad in black suits with red trim. They started out with Alanis Morrisette’s “Uninvited.” Very slick, solid sound from the group on this one, with an impressive range of dynamics. Pretty great solo, and a backing solo that meshed well with it. The group continued on to Queen’s “The Show Must Go On.” It was an interesting choice here, to maintain the same sort of intense tone for another song. Good tune, but I couldn’t help feeling that this song just needed more of something. No surprises, no big moments, and not much to look at from a visual perspective. Solid third song, with which I wasn’t familiar, but I’d have to offer the same criticism—it just wasn’t memorable relative to the other performances of the night. Last came Evanescence’s “My Immortal.” Good group sound to start and a good solo. I couldn’t believe it, though when the solo dropped out right at the climax of the song, taking it choral. This should be the money moment of this song, but in contrast, the group sound was just weak and a major let down. From there, the group transitioned to samplings of some other Evanescence songs, which were a bit of a mixed bag. All in all, it was a good set, but couldn’t quite stack up to the more polished and refined acts leading up to it.

Set Summary:
“Uninvited” by Alanis Morrisette
“The Show Must Go On” by Queen
Unknown
“My Immortal” by Evanescence

As the judges deliberated, professional group Almost Recess took the stage. Fun performance from the guys, though I didn’t quite get their proclivity for performing songs originally performed by women, including samplings of “Umbrella,” “Single Ladies” and “So What.” The highlight of the guys’ set was clearly the vocal percussion solo they let their drummer unleash toward the end of their performance.

This was my third trip to the ICCA and ICHSA Finals, and I have to say it was probably the most competitive show I’ve seen yet. On the high school end, I had tabbed Vocal Forte as my winner. Despite the cheesy choreography, they sounded great, with “You Raise Me Up” arriving as a true highlight of the evening. I had placed the Eighth Notes close behind them, and was looking at Soulfege’s “Taylor, The Latte Boy” soloist for special recognition.

At the collegiate level, I was pretty torn. The sheer difference of their set put Fermata Nowhere in a class of their own in my mind, and placed them as the evening’s champions. Things were much messier from there. In my estimation, The Duke’s Men, Beartones and Ithacappella were all pretty evenly matched, and I kept rearranging them for places 2-4 all throughout the deliberation period. That’s not to say The AcaBelles or Out of the Blue were much further behind, as I sincerely didn’t want to see either of those ensembles leave empty-handed either. I felt things were similarly competitive for outstanding soloist and VP honors.

Much of the night’s buzz came from MTV’s presence at the show, and I suppose this is as good of a point in the review as any to address that issue. I spoke to a number of performers and audience members who did not appreciate MTV’s presence—the staged period of applause, the dramatized (and arguably insensitive) way in which an MTV personality announced the final results, and so on. While I worry that the show did cater a bit too far to the television interests, I won’t go quite so far in condemning MTV’s role in the show as others did. The word was that footage from the finals would be used as introductory material for a TV series focused on the ICCA tournament in 2010. I don’t want to see the ICCAs compromised more than anyone else, but I can’t help feeling that this sort of exposure for collegiate a cappella almost has to be a good thing. I have long held that the number one thing to hold back a cappella is ignorance—a lot of people don’t know it exists, or if they do, they don’t know it beyond farcical renderings on The Office or the stand alone performances they might catch before a basketball game or at a random campus event. This isn’t to say that I expect MTV to portray a cappella in its purest form, but I do like the idea of extending a cappella’s reach into mainstream media, and this could be a prime opportunity for that to happen.

As stated above, an MTV personality took over emcee duties when it came to announcing collegiate placement. Fermata Nowhere closed the night out with a fun performance of Gnarles Barkley’s “Smiley Faces,” capping off a fantastic evening of performances and a memorable season of competition.

ACB ICHSA Picks for the Night
Overall Placement:
1. Vocal Forte
2. The Eighth Notes

Outstanding Soloist:
1. Soulfege for “Taylor, The Latte Boy”
2. Vocal Forte for “You Raise Me Up”

Official ICHSA Results
Overall Placement:
1. The Eighth Notes
2. Soulfege

Outstanding Soloist:
Vocal Forte for “You Raise Me Up”

Outstanding Choreography:
The Eighth Notes

ACB ICCA Picks for the Night
Overall Placement:
1. Fermata Nowhere
2. The Beartones
3. The Duke’s Men
4. Ithacappella

Outstanding Soloist:
1. Fermata Nowhere for “Fall For You”
2. Ithacappella for “I Want You Back”
3. The Duke’s Men for “What A Good Boy”

Outstanding Choreography:
1. Fermata Nowhere for the pop medley

Outstanding VP:
1. Fermata Nowhere
2. Ithacappella

Official ICCA Results:
Overall Placement:
1. Fermata Nowhere
2. Out of the Blue
3. The Beartones
4. The Dukesmen

Outstanding Soloist:
Fermata Nowhere “Fall For You”

Outstanding Arrangement:
Out of the Blue for “Cold Water”

Outstanding VP:
Fermata Nowhere

Outstanding Choreography:
Fermata Nowhere