In a crowded WestCo Café last Saturday, the Cardinal Sinners performed alongside Stuck in the Middle, an a cappella group from Middlebury. The Sinners are the oldest all-female group on campus while Stuck in the Middle is the youngest all-male group in Middlebury, a contrast they made clear in their introductions.
This difference was encapsulated in the general aura of each ensemble’s performance. While the Sinners had a very polished style with a great emphasis on phrasing and punctuation, their choreography and interaction was somewhat tired. On the other hand, the Middlebury men exuded energy and humorous staging that concealed some of their musical deficiencies.
Taking the stage with a rainbow of colorful tops, the Sinners opened the evening’s performance with the familiar composition of “Shiver, ” by Coldplay. While Yi-Lo Yu ’03 took her solo part and ran with it, the remaining ensemble did an admirable job of providing background intonations. As in all their pieces, the women did a wonderful job of harmonizing with the soloist as well as producing wonderful runs with crescendo and decrescendo.
The benefit of performing in the enclosed venue was immediately evident, as the soloist line was very distinctly heard. While the Sinners customarily perform in the spacious foyer of Olin Library, its enormous ceiling creates a vast abyss that can swallow the sound of a soloist voice. But in the WestCo Café, the lyrics were easily discernable.
The location was actually a coming home of sorts for the Sinners, who traditionally performed in that space in the late 90s.
“I enjoy singing in all different locations all the time because you get a different sound in different spaces and different audiences to an extent,” said Sinner Mariah Klaneski ’04.
The evening included the grand premier of a new song for the Sinners, “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight,” originally performed by The Postal Service. Arranged by Laura Vickers ’04 and Andrea Neustein’06, the piece at times emulated a chorus of chirping birds, though it also gave some nice runs for Neustein.
Familiar tunes on the docket included “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön,” the Andrews sisters, and “Carry You Around,” by the Ani DiFranco In the latter, Yu and Claire Blumenson ’06 performed the intricate duet well, creating an interesting, syncopated sound. The former featured some of the only choreography of the night for the ladies, as they performed finger frills and gathered around the soloist.
The audience had more than enough in the way of stage maneuvering when the men from Middlebury took center stage. Beginning with the Motown favorite “ABC” by the Jackson Five, Stuck in the Middle shower off its dancing, falsetto rapping and some sexually suggestive dancing. With their second number, “Steal My Kisses,” by Ben Harper, the Middlebury guys showered the audience with the Hershey’s namesake.
While much of the repertoire of Stuck in the Middle featured energetic choreography, they did include a more serious piece with the singing of “Loch Lomond,” a traditional Scottish folk song.
“It was nice to have the variety of a more traditional piece in the midst of all the contemporary songs,” said Ilana Glosser ’05.
While the men had plenty of laughs throughout their performance, their final number was the most hilarious. Beginning with crisp pronunciation and barbershop quartet sounds, it seemed like they were singing a1950s sit-com theme. Then the soloist came out with the main line of “Take a look at my enormous penis…” at which point the café exploded with laughter.
“The Enormous Penis song amused me, but the thought crossed my mind that because they were singing about it, they must be all talk,” Glosser said.
The contrasts between the two ensembles were quite evident but provided a nice balance between style and substance.
“We had a wonderful time. It was wonderful to get to know another group, we’ll get to meet them again as they are coming here on Feb. 21 when we are hosting ICCA [the International Championship of Collegiate A capella], which will be fun,” Klaneski said.
Anyone interested in catching the Cardinal Sinners before the spring semester will have several opportunities over the next week. The ladies will perform at the Agaway home and garden center off of Route 66 on Saturday and at Fall Jam next Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
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