It's that time of year again, when early weekend evenings should be devoted to a cappella concerts. This weekend, two of the most popular groups on campus, the Octopodes and the Vocal Chords perform, and going to see them is definitely a must.
The Octopodes perform in Bloomberg on Friday, Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. Make a return trip to Bloomberg the following night, Saturday, Nov. 15, to catch the Vocal Chords.
The Vocal Chords is a group of 14, replete with two freshman additions, three other new members, and, most noticeably, guys in cranberry colored suspenders.
What type of music do they sing? Everything. According to the members, "We sing everything from contemporary pop to modern rock, from the '80s to the oldies and all the way to the verge of techno. Heck we even sing country songs!" ?
Saturday's free show is entitled "A Cappella on the Spot," where the group plans to showcase their talents through impromptu improvisation involving audience participation. Although the Vocal Chords want to keep their set list a secret till show time, sophomore Mike Berman did share that two classics, the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love" will be returning to this year's set-list. The Penn 6-5000 an all male group from the University of Pennsylvania will also be lending their talents to the show.
In addition to the concert, this Friday morning, Nov. 14, the Vocal Chords will be performing on Mix 106.5, a popular Baltimore radio station, sometime between 8 and 8:30 a.m., during the JoJo and Kenny Morning Show.
The group has also submitted a tape to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) competition, an a cappella contest featuring groups from all over the United States and Canada. Within the next two weeks, a decision will be made as to whether the group will be accepted into the competition. We're sure they're a shoo-in.
The Octopodes is a 16 member co-ed a cappella group, easily recognized by their "Octopo-blue" and black outfits, and repertoire which includes a wide variety of contemporary rock and pop music.
Six freshmen joined the group this year, two comprising the base section, to bring a fresh and energetic sound. The set list includes two songs by Saliva, some Incubus, No Doubt, AudioSlave's "Like a Stone" and several more compilations. Each song showcases the talent of a different member of the group featured in a solo.
This Friday's performance includes two guest appearances. One by "Off the Beat," an a cappella group from the University of Pennsylvania, and York University's "Wibijazz'n."
To learn more about the Vocal Chords and find out about upcoming shows, visit their newly revamped Web site at http://www.jhu.edu/~vchords. To find out about the Octopodes, check out their Web site at http://www.octopodes.org/.
