A capella artists use voices as instruments

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by Grace Ho

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Neither there to worship gods nor defame them, at 8:30 p.m. on March 15, people packed into the Rice Chapel anywhere they could -- on the floor, against the walls and in the pews.

The Rice Philharmonics, an a cappella group of 16 undergraduates led by sophomore music composition major Philip Rothman, opened the evening's entertainment with four diverse tunes. From upbeat and fun to serious and passionate songs, their voices blended to make rich, expressive music.

While the Philharmonics program was quite satisfying overall, this relatively large group is newly-formed, and the members have yet to develop a rapport that will allow them to sing together with full ease. Every now and then, soprano voices would dominate, and the energy level in certain songs such as "Old Time Religion" seemed to wane.

I look forward to hearing the members of the Rice Philharmonics concentrate their talented individual voices into a cohesive and consistent group sound.

As the Rice Philharmonics left, four members returned to the stage to perform as a separate entity -- the Brown Quartet.

Seniors Joel Riphagen and Hugh Ho, sophomore Andy McKay and freshman Brandon Gibson added silliness to the atmosphere with songs like "That's My Baby" and "My Coney Island Baby." Their performance of "And So It Goes" bled my heart mercilessly.

Judging from the performance, it is obvious this foursome has sung together since the beginning of the academic year; the set showcased beautifully blended voices and wonderfully flowing actions.

Next up was the Lager Rhythms with a Winnie-the-Pooh song to lighten the tone of the evening even more. Composed of three freshmen, two graduate students, an alumnus and two individuals who are unsure of their scholastic label, the Lager Rhythms performed fun songs like "Zombie Jamboree," "Love Potion No. 9," "Istanbul" and the "Mighty Mouse" theme. For a change of pace, they also sang "Walk Down that Lonesome Road."

While the repertoire was appealing, the Lager Rhythms' sound generally seemed thin and overly bright. The voices of the group were strong, and the soloists were impressive, but they did not consistently blend to convey a full group sound. However, when the exceptions occurred, like in the Winnie-the-Pooh song and "Istanbul," their good harmonizing and beautiful voices (which made fantastic instruments) compensated some for their not-so-brilliant moments.

Then came The Other Guys.

Performing 10 songs and an encore after receiving a standing ovation, these eight members of the University of Illinois' Varsity Men's Glee Club overwhelmed the audience with exuberance and first-rate music. Each Other Guy executed every aspect of the performance with finesse and precision. From the setup to the choreography, they established an exciting and theatrical atmosphere in which they were in complete control. They mocked college living and traditions in songs like "Dorm Food" and "The Moral Plot Song" -- the lyrics and the gestures were intelligent, witty and absolutely hilarious.

Singing already popular songs also went over well. I personally enjoyed their version of Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" more than the actual song on the radio because for once, I could understand the lyrics -- and because soloist Ryan Behling has a fantastic voice (as do they all).

As the crowd cheered and clapped wildly after each number, the energy shared between the performers and the audience in the chapel grew until the last song's end brought the crowd to its feet.

"This performance has renewed my belief in mankind -- well, in music," Rothman said. Agreed.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the March 22, 1996 issue.

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