From left, Ecphonema’s Jon Hunt,
Jason “Chewie” Chua, Scott Van Essen,
and Joe Cook vocalize their anti–
Valentine’s Day feelings at the 4th
annual Love Sucks concert.

The new wave in Caltech a cappella

“This is the story of a girl . . . ” The catchy tune pulses through the air and your feet start tapping to the percussion beat. But . . . wait a second. Where are the drums? The guys in purple T-shirts on stage are totally sans instruments, save for a couple of microphones.

That’s the newest story of a cappella music, and Caltech has several groups that are playing a part. No longer limiting themselves to the strains of choral music or doo-wop, today’s vocal groups cover everything from classical and jazz to rock and world beat. And they whistle, hum, and click into microphones to produce sounds amazingly similar to percussion, horns, or guitars. Among the forces credited with the modern a cappella movement are Bobby McFerrin, best known for his 1988 hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” and groups such as the Bobs, the Nylons, and Take 6.

At Caltech, the Glee Clubs and Chamber Singers have long performed all-vocal choral music. It wasn’t until May 1997, however, that a modern, entirely student-initiated and student-run a cappella movement began. It started with the formation of the Treble Makers, a group of women from the Caltech and JPL communities. The all-male group Ecphonema was born four months later, and the coed Out of Context followed in the spring of 1998. According to Joe Cook ’01, a member of both Ecphonema and Out of Context, Caltech’s groups are unusual in the collegiate scene.

“A cappella is big on the East Coast,” he says, “but there are only a few dozen or so West Coast groups. On the East Coast, they might have that many at one school.” In addition, Ecphonema’s use of microphones and “percussion” and its edgier sound stand out among more standard glee club–type groups. Covering songs from the likes of Metallica and Meatloaf, “we’re going for a harder sound—we’re trying to be a vocal rock band,” Cook says.

Ecphonema’s end of year concert is becoming a tradition, and they’re also known for performing at commencement, on the pre-commencement Ditch Day video, and with Out of Context and the Treble Makers at Decompression and the annual Love Sucks concert in February.

The three groups will open for renowned world jazz a cappella group SoVoSó—originally assembled in 1986 by McFerrin—on Saturday, April 21, at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium. Although excited at the opportunity, Cook says the Caltech vocalists are looking forward even more to the afternoon workshop that SoVoSó members will conduct.

Caltech community members can purchase tickets to the performance for $10.00 (Caltech students, $5.00). Contact Public Events at 395-4652, 1 (888) 2CALTECH, or events@caltech.edu. Individuals with a disability: 395-4688 (voice) or 395-3700 (TDD).

More information on Caltech a cappella can be found at www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~ecphon, www.ugcs
.caltech.edu/~ooc, and www.its.caltech.edu/~treble.
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