__.... _ _. -®. - 4AcI 0 4B --The Michigan Daily Weekend Magazine - inursday, ueceoeuriwwo The Michigaraily 'W ekend W ® State of the Arts A cappella style, sound catching on all over campus IF LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL By Debby Hwang Daily Arts Writer Bubbly. Polished. Drunk. The Friars, an eight-man subset of the Men's Glee Club and one of several a cappella groups on campus, are intoxicated with making music. Based on a 50 year-old mantra of "light-hearted spontaneity" embodied by a frothy beer mug, the group's uncommon blend of melody, humor and style springs from cama- raderie among members who love to sing, arrange music and have fun. "We're always looking to lose our- selves in a good time and taking the audience along for the ride," Friar Jeffrey Hogg said. Group members hail from different academic backgrounds, from archaeology to engineering, and almost always do not seek professional musical careers after graduation. But they all say they are drawn to a cappel- la because it offers a new way of enjoy- ing familiar, instrumented songs. Indeed, the general popularity of this type of music stems from its uniquely human sound - it appears to strike ancient chords in listeners. "People feel intrigued with what is able to be done with the human voice. And a chorus of human voic- es used to emulate the instrumental- ists behind the soloist, I think, brings more focus to the corrobora- tion of a group as a whole ... that each member has an important and crucial role tothe sound of the group," said 58 Greene member Amit Pandya. Campus a cappella groups seize the essence of a cappel- la and combine it with buoyant, col- orful and at times irreverent spirit to produce charismatic live perfor- mances. Similar to the Friars, two other a cap- pella ensembles owe their origins to University choirs. The vocal ensemble Gimble was born last year when mem- bers of the University Arts Chorale decided to form the group as a smaller off-shoot. By early this year, Gimble had split entirely from Arts Chorale and moved on to perform its first full-length concert - a show that featured the vis- iting a cappella group, the Dicks and Janes, last month. For many a cappella groups, the emphasis is on amusement. Any tune of interest to the members is fair game, and Gimble's broad repertoire, spans from gospel renditions to the Pink Panther Theme. The group takes its name from Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" and hopes to capture the effervescence of his poetry: "'Twas brilling, and the slythy toves/Did gyre and gymble in the wabe/All mimsy were the boro- goves/And the mome raths out- grabe." On Feb. 19 and 20 Gimble plans to sing for IMPACT, a dance show that will be held at the Mendlessohn Theater. The only all-female a cappella organization at the University, the Harmonettes derive from the Women's Glee Club. "We all share a talent and a love of music and per- formance," Group Member Katie McLaughlin said. "And we definite- ly all are flexible. If we weren't; I think it'd be a lot harder to gel than it has been. From the first time we all sang together this year, we've just really been able to blend." The ensemble, which contains a few aspiring songwriters, arranges its own music and sings a mix of mod- ern and old songs. This semester, it presents a mix of chiefly sad music, "but that wasn't on purpose," McLaughlin said. The Harmonettes helped to establish another campus a cappella group, their male counterpart, the Gentlemen. In Over Thanksgiving break, I saw the film "Life is Beautiful." Starring Roberto Benigni, the movie is about an Italian Jew, Guido, who faces the harsh possibility of death during the Nazi regime in World War II Europe. He is taken to a concentration camp with his 6- year-old son, Giosue. In order to blind his son's innocence to the reality of their situation, Guido entertains the false notion that their trip to the camp is actu- ally a game. Giosue is told by his father that, in order to win, they must accumu- late 1,000 points. It is explained that points are awarded for certain deeds, such as Guido's daily chores and his son's willingness to cooperate with the harsh conditions. The boy, fascinated by toy trucks, becomes overwhelmed with anticipation when his father tells him that the grand prize is a life-sized tank. Within the first week of their stay, all of the children are gassed and Guido real- izes that Giosue must remain hidden from view of the Nazis. The rest of the film chronicles Guido and Giosue's close-encounters with the Germans, building up a tense plot of suspense and near-misses. While the main focus of the film is Guido's devotion to his son's life, there remains what I found to be an even deep- er beauty. At the moment when Guido and Giosue are put on the out-of-town train, Guido's wife, Dora, discovers that the men of her family have been taken away. She demands of a young blond soldier that she be put on the train with them, regardless of the fact that she is a gentile. At first he refuses, her name not appearing on his list. At her repeti- tive demands, he finally decides that her life is not , . worth arguing over, and grants her permission to join the crowded passengers. At that moment, my heart Christopher Tkaczyk swelled with Daily Arts Editor admiration and intrigue. I found Dora's action, the risking of her own life, to be the most heroic motion possible by a human being. Her passionate devotion is something beyond immortal, possibly divine. To make that decision, that decision of death, in hopes of the assurance that you may spend one more minute with that certain someone - that is beauty. That is what makes life worth living. It was recently explained to me by a wise old sage that life is a game. If you live your life, and in the end you're loved, then you've won. The love itself is your reward. I harkened back to the image of the immature Giosue, who had believed the disenchanting lie of the game, and I realized that Guido was right. His life was a game. And he won. But Dora isn't alone in her devotion. While she and Guido are separated at the camp because of the gender segregation, they never see one another. At a particu- lar moment in the film, Guido discovers the room that houses the loudspeaker the Germans use to deliver their daily mes- sages of warning and threat. Without even knowing if Dora is still alive, Guido addressed her with his trademark charm: "Buongiorno principessa ..." He tells her of his undying passion, of his sleep- less nights and his longing to be near her again. He risks his life in the attempt to touch her, again, from a far. And she hears him. And she hears Giosue's voice as Guido allows him to address the memory of his mother. It is at that moment that she realizes her love is returned seven-fold. Hearing Giosue's voice, she cries and knows she has not loved in vain. After I emerged from the fellow patrons mute and enve a certain sense of understan life and love, I began to questi motives in life. Could I ... w make the same decision Dc sionately chose? If ever face decision of death, would I courage, wrought from pa demand to be put on the trair It is my firm desire that I v have that chance. In our romantic hopes and believe we will end up with someone, a possible true love become blind to the harsh rep accepting for ourselves the id love is always close at hand. Another recent film that ac idea of perfect passion is Black."Within that movie, a: played by Brad Pitt, explains tations for true love to a wom in a diner. He tells of his n someone who can take car< quality he promises to mirr drive. He wonders if such a exists in today's world. T played delicately by Claire F( ly discovers her search fo goodness, but unfortunately, Fate lends a hand and her brie ANDI MAIO/Oaily Kol HaKavod entertained the University community in a concert on the Diag last night. Kol HaKavod, an a cappella group made up of Jewish University students, specializes in "Jewish" music. ANDI MAIO/Daily Formed in 1995, the Gentlemen are one of many popular a cappella singing groups on campus. I IIAft JAU HFFFTETEi a -. I . ". U -... . I Ann Arbor 241 E. Liberty Ann Arbor 998-0008 Fax 998-0303 Mon.-Sat. 11-12 AM Sun. 12 noon- 10 PM ~l~l i Plymouth 447 Forest (Behind the Mayflower Hotel) 459-3332 Fax 459-3113 Mon.-Sat 11 AM-11 PM Sun. 12 noon-10 PM 1995, then-Engineering first-year stu- dent Will Friedman formed the all-male Gentlemen to nurture a vision of "strong sound, energetic performance and musical brotherhood" through joint gigs with the Harmonettes and the Headnotes - an a cappella organiza- tion from the University Law School. The Gentlemen feature popular music from the '80s and '90s, from country to R&B. "As a group, I think we are inspired by our love for music and singing and the need to entertain people and bring joy to those who want it," said GentlemansCorey Slutsky. The Gentlemen's new CD, "The Power of 100 Raging Buffaloes," is out now and another is in the works. Kol Hakavod began five years ago at Hillel where several Jewish Students decided to form a singing group. Synchronously Hebrew for "Voice of the humor," Kol HaKavod specializes in "Jewish" music Yiddish or Hebrew translations of American songs, Israeli rock and folk and compositions based on the Bible, Jewish tradition and litur- gy. "We're a really diverse group," said Kol HaKavod Musical Director Lili Kalish. "Especially considering that we share the religion. We come from all corners of the University, with mem- 1) Value Meals Only 399 Soup or Cold Drink, Egg Roll, Entree & Fried Rice Lunch Only 2) Buy one dinner entree and get a second bers from almost every undergraduate college. We also hail from all different parts of the United States. There's never a dull moment at rehearsal:' Members exhibit a passion for musi- cal spirituality and never perform or rehearse on the Jewish Sabbath or holi- days: Despite its singularity, Kol HaKavod has close ties to the rest of the a cappella community. One member is also part of the Gentlemen, and the group recently trounced 58 Greene in a furious match of whirlyball. In addition to its winter concert on Dec. 5 at Hillel and a performance at the Encompass show at the Michigan Theater on Jan. 16, 1999, Kol HaKavod will team up with Gimble at a Michigan League Underground recital on Feb. 4, 1999. A third CD, succeeding "Shir Michigas" and "Don't Look Back," is currently in works and should be completed by spring. 58 Greene also celebrates its cul- tural roots via a cappella. Contrived by a group of friends from the Filipino American Student Association who used the 58 Greene East Quad practice room to perfect their harmonies, the organization has expanded across cultures and musical genre. Four former mem- bers have gone on to form a Boyz II Men-type group called Natural Vibe. The ensemble arranges an eclectic playlist - Doris Day to Culture Club - and includes, of all things, skits and dance mixes with names like "Electric Boogaloo" and "Sexual Anthology." "For the most part, we don't sing to please audience or make money," said Pandya. "We sing to satiate that urge that each of us has to express ourselves ... and we love to share that excitement we feel towards our music with our See A CAPPELLA, Page 108 Top 5 TV Shows (The most watched Tv shows in America and when and where they appear.) 1. "60 Minutes" CBS, 8 p.m. Sunday 2. "NYPD Blue" ABC, 9 p.m. Tuesday 3. "Touched by an Angel" CBS, Sunday 8 p.m. 4. Movie: "Jumanji," Fox, Thursday 8 p.m. 5. Movie: "Cab To Canada," CBS, Sunday 9 p.m. 5. (tie) Football: "Dophins Vs. Patriots," ABC, Monday 8:23 p.m. 1. "Deep Impact," Paramount 2. "Godzilla,"'Columbia/TriStar Home Video 3. "Hope.Floats," FoxVideo 4. "A Perfect Murder," Warner Home Video 5. "The X-Files," FoxVideo 6. "Small Sodiers," Universal 7. 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