Concert Review: The ICCA MidAtlantic Semifinal, 3.4.06
Written by Brian Chambers
Thursday, 09 March 2006
Rutgers University's Shockwave
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ -- Only Jersey could do a cappella like this.
With seating at a premium, the Rutgers staff took matters into their own hands at the sold out show.
“Everyone must move to the sides or the show will be canceled!” decreed the Rutgers Student Center building manager.
“I’d like to see her try,” one elderly audience member cracked. Others chimed in their support with comments that aren’t exactly re-printable on a family website.
But you couldn’t blame the staff for trying. The hall was sold out and a waiting line several people deep spanning from one end of the Rutgers Student Center to the other had to be turned away from the garden state’s first Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) semifinal last Saturday (3.4.06).
They missed a great show from start – High Street A Cappella’s gorgeously old school rendition of the national anthem – to the competition’s climatic song, “Time Is Running Out,” from Casual Harmony with time actually running out.
The remaining standing room only audience watched as Rutgers University’s newest a cappella group, Shockwave, took 1st place and advanced to the ICCA finals (to be held) April 29th at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tulley Hall in New York City.
The Rutgers women will join finalists from across North America, Western Europe and Eastern Asia for a chance at the championship.
“Everyone did such a good job,” said ICCA Mid-Atlantic producer Hayley Cammarata.
“The Mid-Atlantic region is really a tough region [with its] great groups. To even get to this point is such an accomplishment. I think that it could have gone [either] way because every group was so wonderful. But I’m happy with everything and I think it went really well.”
Ithaca College’s Ithacappella came in a close second and the Penn State Pennharmonics rounded out the placing groups scoring a third place mention.
“Rutgers has been a great host,” Ithacappella vice president Gavin Sidebottom said. “You wouldn’t know it was a competition.”
Ithacappella closed out the first half and won the rambunctious home crowd over with its full sound and engaging, entertaining soloists.
“This was my favorite performance ever,” added group president Chris Pearsall. “The crowd was great. We got the kind of response that we get on our home turf.”
Both agreed that the atmosphere between the groups and with fans was fun and friendly.
And groups even found new fans in other competitors.
“I still cannot get ‘Mr. Roboto’ out of my head,” said a flabbergasted Candice Helfand, Shockwave’s musical director.
“The Pennharmonics' creativity with [their] songs/choreography blew me away. [And] Casual Harmony never ceases to impress me; they've always been entertaining and musical and Saturday night was no different.”
The audience probably won’t soon forget the Lafayette Chorduroys either. Yes, the all-male group rocked the mic with tunes from the Foo Fighters and Chicago.
However, their basses mimed a “keg stand” while the soloist removed his shirt revealing a lady’s camisole during their cover of Bare Naked Ladies’ ‘Alcohol.’ It was well-received by the audience.
The lighthearted atmosphere was most likely aided by the emcees of the night, Travis Nilan and Jon Roufael, from a campus improv group.
“We have our own version of how the ICCAs should be run,” Nilan argued.
The pair rated the groups on musicianship, diversity and most importantly – shoes after each set.
(For the record, the emcees had the Misfitz from Miami University of Ohio winning. Although, Ithacappella gained bonus points for diversity - their choreography for Aerosmith’s “Love in an Elevator” gave the illusion of midgets on the stage.)
How friendly did it get between the groups? While the scores were being tallied – usually the most stressful time at the ICCAs – Shockwave led all the groups in an old-fashioned theater ice-breaker involving frenetic, close-quarters dancing much to the judges’ amusement.
Of course, when all is said and done, each group wanted that one shot to sing at Lincoln Center.
“I know my group went out there and put their heart out on that stage and gave it their all,” said a disappointed Greg Heleniak, musical director for the Pennharmonics.
“We’re happy we placed and happy that our vocal percussionist won an award. Maybe we’ll be back next year.”
The Penns, as they are known, have a tradition of doing well in the ICCAs, winning a number of awards and advancing to the finals in 2003.
The Penns’ Chadd Colin took the award for vocal percussion or “perc” as its known at PennState. Casual Harmony’s Jack Bender won for the third time in the ICCAs (in 2005 as well as this year) for his arrangement of System of a Down’s “Aerials.” Meghan Algeo from Shockwave won best solo for her dynamic performance of Irene Cara’s “Fame.”
And despite herself being blown away by the Penns choreography, Helfand was awarded best choreography for her 80’s-rific routine for “Love Is a Battlefield.”
After second and third place was announced, Cammarata cut right to the chase announcing Shockwave as the Mid-Atlantic winner.
A choked up Minna Urrey, assistant music director for Shockwave, took the mic and said, “Oh there’s crying in a cappella” most likely referring to the Geena Davis baseball movie, “A League of Their Own,” and then joined her group in a tear-filled hug before doing an encore.
For a group just over a year old and that on its own campus wasn’t expected to win, let alone even make the cut for the qualifying round for the ICCAs, it was a great moment. (All groups must submit an application recording to gain entry into the competition.)
“From its inception, Shockwave has always strived to break the stereotypes that plague all-female groups -- that they're not as entertaining, musical, whatever. We knew that our age/gender would make it a bit harder for us [as compared to] … our more established, co-ed/male competition. So we just took everything back to basics, worked hard, and made sure to take some risks,” Helfand stated.
Whatever it is, now Shockwave has a shot to be the first female group in 10 years to be ICCA champions.
Set Lists -
High Street A Cappella: The Star Spangled Banner - traditional
Georgia – Boz Scaggs
Spooky – Classics IV
Take a Chance on Me – ABBA
Misfitz: Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Wonderwall/Boulevard of Broken Dreams (medley) – Oasis/Green Day
Unwritten – Natasha Beddingfield
Shockwave: Love Is a Battlefield – Pat Benatar
Fame – Irene Cara
You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
Ithacappella: Accidentally in Love – Counting Crows
Collide – Howie Day
Hard to Handle/Walk This Way/Love in an Elevator (medley) – Black Crowes/Aerosmith
Intermission
Pennharmonics: Mr. Roboto - Styx
Elevation – U2
Listen to Your Heart - Roxette
Chorduroys: Everlong – Foo Fighters
Hard to Say I’m Sorry - Chicago
Alcohol – The Bare Naked Ladies
