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The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I Thursday, October 14, 2010
weekend
essentials
Oct. 14 to Oct. 17
ON STAGE
Tomorrow, at the
Walgreen Drama Cen-
ter, University alum
Esther K. Chae will be
performing her new
espionage thriller "So
the Arrow Flies." Chae,
who will be playing all
four of the play's char-
acters, will also receive
the Alumni Emerging
Artist Award from the
School of Music, The-
atre & Dance tomorrow
evening. After the per-
formance, there will be
a "talk-back" with Chae.
Admission is free.
AT THE MIC
This Saturday, in col-
laboration with the
School of Music, The-
atre & Dance, UMMA
will present "Jazz
Age Paris." Based on
themes of expatriation;
the concert will feature
early African American
jazz, as heard in Paris in
the 1920s. Music The-
ory Professor Emeritus
James Dapogny will
present a pre-concert
talk at 7:30 p.m.; con-
cert starts at 8. Free in
the Apse at UMMA.
FILM
Fall-study-break lovin',
had me a blast. Liven
up your long weekend
with "Grease Sing-a-
Long," playing tonight
at 7:30 p.m. and Sun-
day at 5 p.m. at the
Michigan Theater. In
this version, the lyr-
ics are printed on the
screen, karaoke-style.
The theater is also
holding a costume
contest at each of the
screenings, with the
winners receiving a
"glamour prize pack."
fn this stuffy little room on the fifth floor
of Burton Memorial Tower with a half-
completed hangman scrawled jauntily
on the blackboard, the Compulsive Lyres are
making music.
It's only their second time singing their
newest song, "Sweet Caroline," and it begins
tentatively. The two beatboxers weave in
and out of the melody like professionals,
but something's missing. Maybe it's because
the chords are slightly out of sync, or that a
section of the harmony sometimes seems to
fade out, as if the singers aren't quite sure of
themselves.
Then, about a minute in, the chorus hits.
As the chord progression swells up, the sing-
ers smile broadly at each other - this time,
they know they've got it right. The sound that
emerges this time is tonally and texturally
lush, enveloping the group with its warmth.
1 From here, the energy bounces around
the room like a ping-pong ball. By the sec-
ond chorus, they are already into the groove
of the song, snapping their fingers, joining
hands and tapping their feet. "So good, so
good, so good!" a singer cries out, using Neil
Diamond's words to authenticate the group's
xuberant performance.
W Welcome to the crazy, doo-wopy, harmo-
ny-steeped world of a cappella.
From the hallowed history of Renais-
sance polyphony to contemporary barber-
shop quartets, a cappella, Italian for "in the
manner of the church," is a type of singing
entirely unaccompanied by instruments and
usually includes separate parts for each per-
son. '
But thoughitinitiallybegan asa style of reli-
gious music, a cappella is considerably more
modern at the University - groups have been
known to perform diverse selections from
the likes of Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga
to Hanson. Also innovative is some groups'
distinctive approaches to performance. Last
year, the G-Men began sing-assaulting people
on the Diag, in the Fishbowl and in the bath-
room to publicize an upcomingconcert -even
performing a rousing rendition of "The Lion
King" soundtrack on a University bus, roaring
wildebeests and all.
The a cappella community at the'Universi-
ty has fun, but don't be fooled - these groups
are prestigious. Last February, the G-Men,
Dicks & Janes and Amazin' Blue competed
against colleges across the Midwest in the
International Championship of Collegiate
A Cappella, an internationally recognized
competition that attracts hundreds of col-
lege groups every year. All three ascended to
the region's semifinals, making Michigan the
only school in the country to have that many
groups at that level.
The process of choosing new singers
begins at A Cappella Rush, an event put on
by the Michigan A Cappella Council during
the first week of the semester. Housed in the
second floor Union Ballroom, rush typically
consists of a small concert with one song per-
formed by each of the 16 groups followed by
a Q&A session. In a Festifall-style arrange-
ment, different tables for each group are
lined up around the perimeter of the stage,
- where curious students can roam around, ask
questions and sign up for auditions.
"It's a good way to get the flavor of all of
them," said Kat Weber, a second-year gradu-
ate student in the School of Public Health
and member of the Compulsive Lyres.
"I didn't really have a set idea about who
I was going to audition for going in," Maia
Gleason an LSA freshman said. She tried out
for four groups during September auditions:
Amazin' Blue, 58 Greene, Gimble and the all-
girl Harmonettes, earning callbacks to three
of them. She ultimately joined Gimble.
"For me, Gimble and 58 Greene really gave
off that feel of fun - you know, it's not always
about the music," she said. "It's also about the
passion, having fun with it and growing from
the music you're singing."
Auditions run almost immediately after
rush, over the course of three days. This year,
the number of auditioners reached a record
high, with as many as 150 students showing
up per group.
Auditions typically take 10 to 15 minutes
and involve testing the vocal range, pitch and
sight-reading ability of each singer. Toward
the end, auditioners are given the opportu-
nity to sing a short solo. About a dozen people
receive callbacks and a chance to test how
well they fit in with the group.
"We sort of conduct a rehearsal with them
and see how quickly they can learn the music
and how well they can blend," Weber said.
"Because blending is really, really important
- in a cappella more so than other types (of)
singing, because if you have a lot of vibrato
it's not going to blend well."
"It was almost like the auditions were
your musical test and your callbacks were
how well you fit in kvith the group," Gleason
said. "You got to know the people and they
got to see if you would fit in with their group,
because each group has a different feel and
See A CAPPELLA, Page 4B
CONCERT
In the mood for
some electro-jazz
house party beats?
Head to the Blind Pig
on Friday night to
hear The New Deal
play live. With rave
scenesters and musi-
cians alike as fans,
the band has created
quite a following for
itself over the years.
Famous for their
mostly improvised
shows, it's hard to say
exactly what to expect
at this weekend's
show. But one things
for sure, it's going
to be a wild time.
Tickets from $23.
PHOTO BY SALAM RIDA, DESIGN BY MARISSA MCCLAIN