As the lights dimmed and the crowd quieted down, Homewood Arts Program Director Eric Batey welcomed the class of 2013 to the 2009 O-A cappella Show. The show featured Adoremus, the AllNighters, Ketzev, Kranti, the Mental Notes, Octopodes, Sirens and the Vocal Chords.
The Buttered Niblets set the stage, prefacing the introduction of each a cappella group with a supposedly relevant and thoroughly ridiculous sketch. During their first sketch, the Niblets underscored a lecture concerning the importance of contraception and safe sex with a walk-on from "Jon Gosselin," one of the titular characters from "Jon & Kate Plus 8." Jon, played unconvincingly by Yang Bai, whipped a plastic version of his twins from a trash bag and chucked them at the audience.
This act was followed by the "painfully sexy Mental Notes," who twirled onto the stage flaunting their signature Hawaiian shirts. Singers in the Mental Notes typically perform in a Broadway-esque style. In addition to their conversational singing style, most of their songs are either accented with humorous shout-outs or visual elements. In their performance of The Little Mermaid's "Kiss the Girl," the Mental Notes scuttled across the stage, adopting the underwater personas of the song's characters.
In their next original song, the visual element of the performance was even more exaggerated. The lead singer undercut his lamentations of difficulties with "the gravy train" by consoling himself with the line: "But then I take a look at my enormous penis." At this cue, the rest of the group lined up phallically behind him, with two members forming circles with their arms on both sides of the formation. As the song came to a close, a troubled male voice called out, "Size doesn't matter!" Through a mixture of choreography, comedy and talent, the Mental Notes set a high standard for the following a cappella groups.
The Sirens were the second group to perform. Although they are undoubtably one of the most fashionable a cappella groups at Hopkins, Wednesday's performance certainly didn't bolster their singing reputation.
While the performance of the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love" was certainly exceptional, featuring the sensual voice of the talented lead singer, their overall impression was disappointing.
Next on the lineup was Adoremus, who bounded on stage in response to the Buttered Niblets' witty reflection, "What would be on Jesus' iPod?" They responded with their plea, "Savior, savior, stand by me," a clever twist on Ben E. King's "Stand By Me." Adoremus' performance was fairly consistent; while the female voices were airy, they occasionally verged on flat.
The group gave off a ridiculous vibe, evidenced by their soloist boasting a lime green trucker hat. In many ways, their final male lead saved their set with his rich and fluid voice. Hopefully, Hopkins students will be hearing more of him in the future.
Adoremus was followed by the Niblets, who acted out a slightly longer series of sketch comedy scenes. The connecting theme in each of these skits was satire of the freshman experience.
According to the Niblets' token announcer voice, these freshman "endured hours, some even days, in cars with their parents [in order to] be processed through Orientaton."
The three Niblets huddled together on stage, and their Ellis Island-like performance highlighted key flaws of JHU Orientation, such as the huge freshmen class and subsequent housing dilemma. It even mentioned the danger of being preyed upon by late-night escort van drivers.
Krati, Hopkins' Hindi-English fusion a cappella group, opened with a performance that blended hip-hop and spiritual elements. The group's ornate ethnic attire succeeded in establishing a vibrant atmosphere, but the repetition of the song's staccato rhythm eventually grew tiresome. Nevertheless, the caliber of vocal talent in Krati has risen considerably since their 2008 show.
Their next song, a hilarious and brazen rendition of Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back," was very well received. With lyrics such as "Bollywood... You call it cheesy, but you know it's good," and "Them skinny Desi boys be acting black," Hopkins students could not help but laugh-and applaud.
Next came the Vocal Chords, whose energetic, bopping style and All-American add to their visual appeal. Their rendition of the Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly" was excellent, but the corresponding airplane formation was unnecessary and detracted from the performance as a whole. They closed out their set with a jazzy and somewhat risque version of Electric Light Orchestra's "Evil Woman."
Following the Vocal Chords, the Niblets introduced "the most circumcised group on campus... Ketzev!" Despite the fact that this group first sang in Hebrew, Ketzev's performance was reminiscent of a church choir, much more so than any other a cappella groups - including Adoremus. The singers were certainly competent, but during their rendition of Fastball's "The Way," the beatboxer's guitar solo stole the show.
Ketzev was followed by the Octopodes. Their beatboxer's astonishing skill set the standard for amazing vocal percussion. The masterful beatboxing and substantial vocal talent of the lead singers reinforced this group's reputation as Hopkins' best co-ed a cappella group.
The AllNighters, who came on stage suited in old-fashioned vests and khakis, were the last group to perform. The tenor's fantastic voice, displayed in Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," caught the audience's attention. It was not until they performed Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek," though, that the AllNighters truly lived up to their reputation.
The crowd was captivated by their adept harmonizing, clear voices and impressive group range. Indeed, the group succeeded in generating the only silent moment of the entire show. As the AllNighters dropped their heads simultaneously on the last note, Shriver erupted with applause, a triumphant finale for Johns Hopkins University's 2009 O-A cappella Show.
