The University of Buffalo Buffalo Chips

Musically gifted, and always entertaining, the University of Buffalo Buffalo Chips have been a staple on the collegiate a cappella scene since the mid-90s. The all-male group competed in a quarterfinal of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella at Penn State University, finishing in second place. Tomorrow, they move on to Rutgers to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Semifinal. Incidentally, The A Cappella Blog will be represented at Rutgers. Look for a complete review and photos from the show soon.

Buffalo Chips musical director John Sullivan took the time to answer questions from A Cappella Blog co-founder Mike Chin.

A Cappella Blog (ACB): How would you describe the Chips' upcoming CD, All In? What can listeners expect?

John Sullivan (JS): All In is the first time that the Chips have had an opportunity to work with one of the professional a cappella "insiders," Freddie Feldman of Vocomotion. Our previous two albums were done entirely at a local studio that had never before handled contemporary a cappella music, and before that the albums were barely what one might consider "studio." With that in mind, All In is going to be a very different sound for us--more playful, and somehow simultaneously more organic and more "studioed." It's a different direction that we're trying out, but we expect it to be of at least equal caliber to our recent releases. Like I said before, this is entirely new ground for us (working with an established a cappella professional), so we're just feeling our way around. We'll probably record the next album ourselves, so that we can have more time and control over the raw tracks, and then outsource the mixing and mastering--to whom, we don't know yet.

ACB: The Buffalo Chips are known for their impressive combination of musical proficiency and comedic showmanship. What elements of a cappella performance are most important to your group?

JS: I think that's a tricky question, and it depends upon whom you ask; as Musical Director, my top priority is, of course, the music. I need people to stay in key and tempo, I need dynamics, certain parts brought out at certain places, and so forth. But there is, of course, a larger overall picture when it comes to performance. Two years ago, when we reentered the ICCA after a hiatus of several years, we had absolutely no choreography, and we got slammed for it. Last year, we went...a little over the top, but ended up actually winning for Best Choreography at our first-round event. I think we proved to ourselves that we're capable of doing it when it's needed, and honestly I think we've come to the opinion (both through ICCA directly, and through seeing more groups over the past two years as a result) that the visual aspect of the performance is important too--so long as it's not detracting from the music. I don't bother trying to get the guys to do anything physical until the song is sounding pretty good, but once the sound is there, the physicality can actually help with internalizing expressive aspects of the music.

ACB: Are there any unique traditions attached to your group?

JS: I don't know how unique they are, but we do have our own traditional beverage of choice, as well as some other traditions that are mostly procedural, and not very exciting. We don't all get tattoos together, if that's what you mean, though I know of a couple of groups that did do that.

ACB: As an all-male group, what advantages do the Chips enjoy? What challenges does the nature of the group present?

JS: Well, without any girls around, we don't have to spend a lot of time debating the dress code for a concert... oh wait, no, we still do that. Seriously, though, I think we enjoy the standard advantages of an all-male group: genetically enhanced bass and percussion, testosterone, the absence of intra-group relationships (actually, that might not hold true for every all-male group, I suppose...)

ACB: What is the audition process like for the Chips?

JS: It's nothing too intimidating--we ask our auditionees to fill out a simple questionnaire while they wait their turn... mostly funny stuff, but a couple of questions to see how familiar they are with basic musical concepts (major vs. minor chords, etc.). It has no bearing on their acceptance--that's based almost entirely on what we hear that we like or need in their solo (we ask them to sing a verse and chorus of a pop/rock song) and range. We also do some brief sight-singing and sight-rhythm, but it's not necessarily required and really just lets us know what we're working with once we've taken people.

ACB: What drew you, personally, to collegiate a cappella in the first place?

JS: When I was in high school, there was a very small, elite men's a cappella ensemble called the Testostertones. I joined that my freshman year(technically early, but they needed two more people to qualify for a competition), and we started learning "What a Good Boy," as arranged by the Duke's Men of Yale, by ear. One of the seniors in the group, Josh McMahon, went to Binghamton the next year and joined the Crosbys. Thanks to that connection, I was treated to 2 or 3 Crosby concerts at my high school, and that really got me hooked.

ACB: What is your favorite song to perform with the Chips?

JS: Currently, I would probably say "This is How a Heart Breaks" by Rob Thomas--it's very high energy, and I wish we had more in our repertoire like it.

ACB: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of The A Cappella Blog?

JS: Don't be afraid to take the a cappella community into account when choosing a school. Obviously academics should be your first priority, but if you know that you want to try out for an a cappella group, do a little research and check out the a cappella scenes at the schools you're applying to--if it comes down to a toss-up between 2 or 3 schools, that could make all the difference in the world. Actors wouldn't want to go to school where there was no theater community; really avid baseball players probably wouldn't want to go to school where there wasn't even an intramural team; why should singers be any different?

If you would like to learn more about The Buffalo Chips, you can visit the group online at http://ubchips.googlepages.com.