Duke Speak of the Devil
Since coming together in 1991, Duke University's all-male group, Speak of the Devil, has come a long away.
Speak of the Devil President Chris Sung took the time to answer questions from A Cappella Blog co-founder Mike Chin.
A Cappella Blog (ACB): Each year, Speak takes a mini-tour in the fall, performing at a variety of different colleges. Where is the group headed this year? What were some noteworthy stops in the past?
Chris Sung (CS): Speak of the Devil piles into a 30 foot RV and tours up the East coast every fall break. This year's fall break tour included James Madison University, New York City (where we sang in SOHO, at Union Square, and at Penn Station), the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, and UVA. The locations of our shows have varied in the past: from Gaucher College, to Dartmouth, to the streets of Boston to private high schools in Connecticut.
ACB: Describe a typical rehearsal for Speak? Do rehearsals change before a big show or tour?
CS: Rehearsals vary based on upcoming shows, new music, and at our Music Director's preference. Speak of the Devil believes performance is paramount so preparation for a big show involves many more hours daily. In addition to perfecting music, Speak will learn elaborate choreography, create hilarious skits or videos, and collaborate with various performance groups on campus to make our show a unique and engaging experience.
ACB: What's on the horizon for Speak in the future? Any new songs in the works? Any upcoming gigs of note?
CS: Speak of the Devil will release a brand new CD this semester. With extremely professional recording quality and diverse vocal talent, this CD promises to be Speak's best yet. Speak is constantly revising its repertoire and is currently working on some of the latest music from Outkast, Justin Timberlake, and Gavin Degraw.
ACB: With the large number of active a cappella groups at Duke, how do you all co-exist? Is there any friendly rivalry between the groups? Do you often perform together?
CS: The a cappella community at Duke is a close-knit group. As it is a small community, Duke groups work together to ensure we don't step on each other's toes, and in other cases, collaborate to bring out bigger audiences or to put on better shows. The all-female and all-male groups make it a point to have social mixers and the Presidents of every group are in constant contact. There are some groups that enjoy friendly rivalries, but Speak's unique performance ability and musicianship allows us focus more on our role as Duke's premier all-male a cappella group on campus.
ACB: How does your group go about deciding which songs to add to its repertoire?
CS: We love an eclectic but contemporary repertoire. The members of the group are experts in various genres from Hip Hop to Punk Rock, Alternative to R&B so we rarely have to venture too far to identify the hottest songs on the radio. Occasionally, we will monitor the Billboard Top 100 to see what our audience will love to hear. We want our audience to get excited at the start of every song and choose our repertoire to achieve that goal.
ACB: What would you say is the most important element to having a successful collegiate a cappella group?
CS: One of the aspects of Speak of the Devil that sets it apart is our commitment to each other as brothers. The social aspect of our group is extremely unique to both Duke's campus and to collegiate a cappella. We spend 10 hours weekly singing together, and more than 40 hours weekly hanging out together. We are certainly a group of talented performers, but we are also a tight-knit group of friends and this is an element of our group that encourages our success. We each hold each other accountable for keeping the group innovative and energetic.
ACB: What drew you, personally, to collegiate a cappella in the first place?
CS: I sang in an alternative rock band in high school and had been interested in vocal performance since I was young. In college, the appeal of Speak of the Devil was unavoidable since the group took performing to a new level. Similarly, by singing among other amazing singers, I have had to strive to improve vocally.
ACB: What is your favorite song to perform with Speak?
CS: "Still Fighting It" by Ben Folds Five.
ACB: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of The A Cappella Blog?
CS: Speak of the Devil has helped define my career at Duke. The group has made a common interest of singing into a culture of friendship and brotherhood and the experiences I've enjoyed with my a cappella group are unique and unforgettable. It's difficult to see beyond college, however our alumni assure us that Speak of the Devil is one of the things that they have missed the most since graduating. I think this blog should enable new students to see a cappella as more than music, and should bring the community of singers closer together.
If you would like to learn more about Speak of the Devil, you can visit the group online at http://www.speak.pratt.duke.edu/.