On Saturday night, Shriver Hall hosted a hidden gem of a show amidst the mayhem of zombies, aliens, and screaming humans. At this musical event, several Hopkins affiliated a cappella groups as well as groups from other universities gave moving performances. The presence of outside groups offered a unique opportunity for admirers of the a cappella tradition to come together and sing under one roof. Unfortunately, poor advertisement and an entry fee proved to be a hindrance to attendance; barely half of the seats in Shriver were occupied. Despite these setbacks though, the show was amazing, and all of the groups put a hundred percent into entertaining the sparse audience.
The opening act of the night was the Octopodes. Donning their characteristic black and blue garb, they were dressed to impress, and impress they did. They quickly got the audience’s heartbeat racing with an emotionally charged rendition of “Animal” by Ke$ha, followed by a creative mash-up of Fun’s chart-topping “We are Young” and Mika’s “Happy Ending.” Their performance was a spot-on first chapter of what was to be a remarkable two hours.
One of the highlights of the night was definitely the JHU AllNighter’s version of “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz. This all-male group immediately impressed with their wide range and ability to connect with the audience. They were one of the most technically adept groups. The soloist of the song managed to make it seem like he was singing to every single person in the crowd despite being on stage. He did not lose control of his voice even when he pushed his voice to attain a distinctive, powerful timbre. The AllNighters certainly did not give up on their audience despite the low turnout.
However, the charismatic Vanderbilt Melodores was the group that stole the show. Due to the connection between the Melodores and an on campus a cappella group here at Hopkins, they were willing to stop and sing for students, given that they were passing through town touring local high schools. When they heard about the Hopkins a cappella festival, they kindly spent their Saturday evening showing the audience what it meant to be a Commodore. The male vocalists of the Melodores pushed the limits of what can be done with the human mouth. They produced sounds that could easily be mistaken for electronic in a virtually flawless rendition of Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive.” In fact, this was one of the few a cappella covers that managed to be better than the original version.
Their strength lay in the fact that the soloist did not carry the group. Instead, every person’s voice was an integral part of the whole sound. Though the predominant voice was sufficiently engaging and powerful, the true capability of the Melodores came from the sound wall they were able to produce with their harmony and pull the audience into. Like the lyrics in the song, the Melodores welcomed the audience into the new age of a cappella. They left the audience roaring and demanding an encore.
The last act of the night put all of the previous collegiate a cappella groups in perspective. Transit, a professional musical group utilizing their voices as the sole instruments, set the example of the career these groups can look forward to in the future. The four man, one woman group rocked the second half of the show.
The various excellent performances on Saturday night certainly made the trek out to Shriver and the fee worth it. The only disappointment of the night was the sparse attendance. Anyone who didn’t come certainly missed out.
