A cappella group reaches all ages with inspired covers

Rockapella is a “pop funk” a cappella group founded in the 1986 by a group of students from Brown University. World-renowned for its vocals and astonishing performances, Rockapella has five members: high tenor Scott Leonard, vocal percussionist Jeff Thacher, bass George Baldi III, tenor Steven Dorian and tenor Calvin Jones. “[A cappella is] a form of music that connects with people immediately,” Thacher said. “[It] is a group of singers that can create the energy and sound of a band without the instruments––that’s more personal because everyone knows what a voice is.”

Thacher plays a vital role in the group and is one of the oldest members. He began performing with Rockapella in 1993 as a vocal percussionist. He developed his skills at an early age in the town of Potsdam, New York, where he used to beatbox for fun. After obtaining his degree in music, “an opportunity came up to be a professional, and that was Rockapella,” he said.

Thatcher said he was intimidated when he started as a full-time vocal percussionist. Just like any other muscles in the body, “mouth muscles have to build up strength,” Thacher said. Rockapella has attracted crowds of all ages from all over the world. They have even appeared on the PBS Kids show "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?"

Thatcher said the group considers itself to be family-friendly, its fans ranging from kids in diapers who wiggle to the beat to older crowds who could be wary of newer genres of music. Fortunately, that is not a problem for the band.

“A cappella has always had the quality of being not intimidating to older people, but still cool to younger people—when it’s done well,” Thacher said.

Rockapella draws inspiration from music of the 1960s, including The Persuasions, an a cappella group from Brooklyn, New York. The Persuasions covered various rock bands like the Grateful Dead, The Beatles and Elvis Presley, but their sound was more of a Motown style.

Thacher advises younger artists to pay attention to the musicians that came before them.

“Listen to people who have been successful in the past century because when you listen to the great singers of the past… you stylistically become a better performer, ” he said. “Go back and really listen to the great soul singers of America and make it part of you.”

Rockapella’s goal is to have an interactive performance with its audience and to allow for a comfortable experience. When asked how he feels onstage, Thacher said that he’s often excited to perform and that the stage is like his own living room. “We like to have fun onstage,” he said.

Rockapella will perform on Saturday Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Wadsworth Auditorium. Tickets are $8 for students.

Popular teen novel turned typical romance film

The film If I Stay, released on Aug. 29, is the most predictably tear-jerking, heart-wrenching film of the summer.The film inspires a sense of melancholy, a desperate desire to grasp life before it runs out and to find love like the film’s protagonists, Mia and Adam. In this respect, If I Stay is worth the watch. In terms of originality, this film is not up to par. If I Stay centers on Mia, a young cellist played by Chloë Grace Moretz. At only 17 years old, Moretz gives an outstanding performance. She is an exceptional actress and even more so with Jamie Blackley––who plays her boyfriend Adam––by her side. The movie begins the morning Mia is in a car crash that puts her in a coma on a snowy morning that also claims the lives of her parents. We follow Mia through her out-of-body experience. She takes us with her as she reflects back to her dearest memories in her life. By the end of the film, the audience has a good account of her life to this point. Everything seemed to be going unbelievably well before her accident—she had a close relationship with her family, a handsome, loving boyfriend and a successful audition to The Julliard School. The loss of her parents, however, has put Mia somewhere in limbo weighing the pros and cons of coming to back to a world where her parents are gone and deciding whether she should stay for her boyfriend and brother or “move on.” There is a lot going on in the film that isn’t all about Mia and Adam. Her relationships with her family members and the cello are emphasized consistently. Still, one cannot help but notice that it is as much about the love story as it is about her devastating situation. This plot is in no way surprising. Countless times in the past and in the anticipated future, we have had films that revolve around first love, loss and the “life-changing crucible.” The rejections of happily ever afters are not original anymore. Shakespeare already covered that when he wrote “Romeo and Juliet” decades ago. In fact, it has been covered over and over since then. This is not to say that happily ever afters are the better option. We have reached a time where films should aim at stronger messages than the continuous fight toward love. Films need to educate rather than regurgitate. Teaching something new and applicable to real life will inspire audiences to create and delve deeper into matters of the heart and life. The film itself will most likely bring a large profit from the pockets of young teenage girls who romanticize everything. It isn’t a life-changing or even very thought-provoking film. Be warned, you will not be enlightened by anything in this film. This is yet another flick that revolves around a girl’s most “important” decision in life, centered on a boy.