A capella Festers, Sings at pomona College
By Emily W. George
Contributing Writer

I, for one, cannot decipher what makes a harmony sound “on,” a blend sound “together” or vocal percussion sound “tight.” But the Southern California A Cappella Musical Festival (SCAMfest) reminded me that one doesn’t need formal musical training and know-how to appreciate an a cappella performance, especially when the group (or in this case nine groups—four from Claremont, five from elsewhere in Southern Cal) realizes the importance of secondary performance components like energy, presence, enthusiasm and, fundamentally, song selection. In other words, a successful group understands that a cappella is as much about having good, (mostly) clean fun as it is about hearing a perfect b-flat or f-sharp.

This is not to say, however, that the layperson won’t appreciate obvious musical quality. For example, take UCLA’s Random Voices’ performance of “Jagged Little Pill” by Alanis Morissette.

As the remarkable soloist presented the lyrics without any whine or edge but with clarity, depth and power, I found myself appreciating Morissette more than ever before. The popular song was transformed before my ears from grating to downright impressive as the thirteen women created a rich, vaguely synthesized sound.

The group’s following two selections lived up to the Morissette cover while demonstrating the members’ ability to execute pop/rock, traditional, and R&B styles with success.

The USC group Reverse Osmosis also offered up a range of musical styles and showed clear technical talent with “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

The soloist demonstrated both her range and the rich alto-tonality of her voice while the other members lent a bold backdrop that blended well with the mood of the piece.

What most audience members will remember of this group, however, is the Nintendo medley replete with the various Super Mario Bros. sound effects that dominated our collective childhood. As soon as the audience recognized the music, everyone burst out in laughter and the chuckles continued well into the song, peaking when three members gargle-sang to imitate the underwater level sounds.

The other really notable fun song presented was “CalTech Girl,” that institution’s amusing rendition of Billy Joel’s original “Uptown Girl.” The pale and skinny soloist delivered the amusing nerd-joke lyrics with great presence and energy, evoking many giggles, especially when he sang of being loved for his “big huge mind.”

Meanwhile, our own Claremont Shades, the group that coordinates the event each year, showcased its range and talent. Their two stand-out songs, “Broken Glass” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It” were imbued with great energy, with strong but blended, inconspicuous percussion and bold, clean solos. While presumably motivated by a similar intent to “please the crowd,” as it were, I’m afraid that version of “Push It” by Garbage may have gone to far as its oozing sexuality, punctuated by the recurring invocation to “push it harder.” I could only think of the older folks in the audience and worry that they were mortified; I, at the ripe, collegiate age of nineteen, even found myself a bit uncomfortable and not unamused.

The Shades did, however, succeed at amusing me quite well when they sent member Justin Halliwell PI ’04 on stage to introduce Pomona’s Women’s Blue & White.

His breathy singing of the reworked lyric, “you make me feel so brand new, women’s blue” certainly quickened my heart beat. I couldn’t help but wonder, though, when he concluded by ushering on the “terribly talented Women’s Blue & White” whether he was making at subtle jab at this campus group. Given their nearly entirely-new membership this year, I was pleasantly surprised by their performance.

I also really enjoyed Midnight Echo’s songs, both of which presented strong solos and a lot of spunk, especially when Susan Caplow ’03 got down with “Lady Maramalade” and the requisite amount of booty-shaking. Not surprisingly, the Men’s Blue & White also presented a bit of booty in the tradition of B&W antics—though I wonder how the one member to appear in only a towel was selected for the job.

Characteristic fun-loving aside, the Men also presented some quality songs, especially their new addition, Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love” with the solo performed by the talented rookie Eric Chung ’06.

Shower Quality, the other campus group, I’m afraid got a bit overshadowed in the mishmash of high energy from the other groups, though it was interesting to hear their a capella rendition of the Bare Naked Ladies’ “It’s All Been Done.”

At the end of the night, though, it was the high-energy and fun songs that received most praise. Many audience members bubbled about the Nintendo medley which, in the words of Matt Holden ’04, “frickin’ ruled!” As always, overall reviews were mixed, with some claiming that last year’s SCAMfest was better.