Rutgers Casual Harmony
Casual Harmony is a dynamic, innovative and exciting all-male group out of Rutgers. This Saturday, the group will return to the ICCA Mid-Atlantic Semifinals as the home team for what promises to be an outstanding show. Casual Harmony founder David Rabizadeh took the time to answer questions from A Cappella Blog Content Manager Mike Chin.
A Cappella Blog (ACB): What can listeners expect from Casual Harmony's first CD, “Score Some Harmony?”
David Rabizadeh (DR): Our group is known for its diverse music selection so you will hear rock tracks from artists such as System of a Down, Radiohead and The Muse all the way to R&B/Pop from John Legend and Maroon 5.
ACB: Casual Harmony took last year off from competing in the ICCAs, in part, to focus on recording a CD. What led the group to return to competition this year?
DR: Currently, a lot of Casual Harmony is composed of veteran singers that have been a part of the group since their freshman year. I believe, in total, after this year there will be approximately nine members leaving the group because they are either seniors or have been in the group for over 3-4 years in a row. Since there are so many people leaving the group, most of the members felt competition would be a great opportunity to go out in a “bang” and try our best to leave a mark in the ICCAs. Fortunately, we've made a lot of really great connections in the Mid-Atlantic region the last time we competed and our hopes are that we will make even more friends this time around as well.
ACB: How would you describe the experience of hosting an ICCA semifinal in 2007? What was it like to work with the ICCA production staff, and to share the stage with so many talented groups that night?
DR: Hosting is wonderful. It is the main source of the group's income and it has been a great way to expand our fan base generating friendships that result in fun road gigs/guest groups. We have built a good relationship with the ICCA staff and they have always enjoyed coming to Rutgers as we have continuously provided sold-out and exciting crowds. Casual Harmony has hosted the ICCAs at Rutgers for the past three years. This year we will be hosting the semi-finals again but we have outgrown our old/small location of the Rutgers Student Center and have moved on to a bigger, better, and more luxurious venue with the 750 seated Nicholas Music Center @ the Rutgers University Mason Gross School of Art. Known for it's excellent acoustics and overall luxurious interior, this show will prove to be the best ICCA show hosted at RU to date.
ACB: Casual Harmony is known for its diverse and innovative repertoire. How does your group go about deciding which songs to add to its repertoire? Who is responsible for arrangements?
DR: That is probably the hardest thing to explain since I'm not even sure anyone knows the real answer to it. Theoretically it happens like this:
- Someone hears a song they think would be a good fit for a cappella in general
- Then we have to make sure the song is a good fit for the style and personality of Casual Harmony — We like to have songs that are a little edgier that take some risk.
- The song is arranged.
- Then, the song is proposed to the group, and the group does a sing through to make sure it works with us.
- Finally, after learning all the parts and auditioning the solo, it's officially added to our set-list
Our main arranger is Jack Bender. He has arranged a majority of our songs the past few years. Although he arranges a bulk of our songs, he isn't the only one. There are many guys in the group that can and do arrange.
ACB: What would you say is the most important element to having a successful collegiate a cappella group?
DR: Simply put, dedicated members having a common goal and loving what they are doing.
ACB: Describe a typical Casual Harmony rehearsal. How often do you guys practice and what do you do to achieve such success by the time you hit the stage? Do rehearsals change before a big show? Before you guys go into competition?
DR: We rehearse twice a week, 2 hours each time. A typical rehearsal starts with warming up and then going through music, either running songs or targeting problem spots. The one really unique thing I've found with our group is that we keep rehearsal very … well … casual. We spend on average a solid 30 minutes of rehearsal time messing around, telling stories, jokes and just having a good time in the company of good friends. This isn't the most conducive environment for a focused rehearsal but of course, all this changes in preparation for a big show and/or competition. Rehearsals become more intense and we add rehearsals on an as needed basis. The weeks leading up to a HUGE show or competition, we rehearse almost every single day – even if those rehearsals are used strictly to practice choreography or to critique recordings of ourselves.
ACB: What drew you, personally, to collegiate a cappella in the first place?
DR: Growing up, I had always looked up to my brother who started an all-male group in high school. When I arrived at high school, I joined the group my brother had started. Before coming to RU, I knew there was no all-male a cappella group and I had set in my mind that I wanted to start one. Long story short, a year after getting to RU, Casual Harmony was born.
ACB: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of The A Cappella Blog?
DR: Keep up the great work! A cappella has a small, yet thriving, community and great sites like these really promote an art that so many college students are afraid to admit they are in love with. Yes you, don't lie, you secretly love those song-singing guys wearing jeans and a button down. We know you are hoarding tons of a cappella music in your i-Tunes download folder.
For more on Casual Harmony, can visit them online at http://www.casualharmony.com/