If you’re looking to get your a cappella fix, you couldn’t ask for a better school than our university. But with a seemingly overwhelming number of choices—from the Cardinal Sinners to the Mazel Tones to the Mixolydians—it can be difficult to assess which group is what you’re looking for when it comes to commitment, competitiveness, and general vibe.
So, The Argus decided to shed light on one of the lesser known organizations on campus. We sat down with the members of the lower-voice a capella group Slender James (Avi Kahtan ’28, Elyot Segger ’28, Ian Wagner ’28, Lowell Justice ’28, Conrad Lewis ’26, Hudson Wang ’26, and Harry Resnik ’28) to discuss their presence at the University and what sets them apart from the crowd.
The Argus: Your name, Slender James, is certainly unique. What’s the origin story for it?
Hudson Wang: That’s kind of on a need-to-know basis.
Harry Resnik: The group was around before the University was founded, and it got integrated into the University much later.
Elyot Segger: Yeah. We’re a secret society. So secret that we don’t even know the origins of our name.
A: How often do you perform, and where are performances usually held?
ES: Personally, I perform every morning in the shower.
Lowell Justice: For me, it’s every night in the shower.
HR: As Slender James, we usually perform maybe two or three times a semester.
Avi Kahtan: We’re actually singing at parents weekend. We perform everywhere.
HW: Yeah, like at Eclectic, in the chapel, in the gazebo…
Conrad Lewis: And we have concepts of a plan for an end-of-semester performance. Big things in the works.
A: With all of the other a capella groups on campus, what differentiates you?
ES: Well, Siggi’s yogurt is really what brings us together as a group. It can be plain, whole milk, blueberry, it can be whatever. To this day, we are the only Wesleyan a cappella group actively seeking a sponsorship from Siggi’s.
CL: We haven’t gotten it yet.
A: But you’re on the prowl.
HW: And musically, we’re a lower-voice a cappella group, meaning we sing from bass to tenor. I’d also say we’re a very inclusive group for anyone who has a deep passion for a cappella.
Ian Wagner: And a deep voice.
AK: Deep passion, deep voice, deep pockets…
ES: I don’t know about that last part. We literally have lyrics in a song that say: “I’m broke as fuck.”
HR: We also don’t take ourselves too seriously.
CL: We’re Wesleyan’s only nonchalant a cappella group. If anything ends up in the article, it should be that.
A: So, if someone wanted to lend their talents to Slender James, what would the process of joining look like?
ES: Well, we have semesterly auditions! We’ve actually birthed two new members this year.
AK: Birthed?
ES: Yeah. Birthed.
HW: A lot of really talented people don’t actually know that we have auditions. There’s sort of a disconnect there. Our goal is to get a wider audience.
A: So right now you’re sort of Wesleyan’s underground a cappella group.
HR: Yeah. The New York Times hasn’t really reached out yet.
LJ: Neither has Siggi’s.
CL: With the Sunday Serenade performance at the beginning of the year, all the a cappella groups want to perform there because they know that for [first-years] interested in a cappella, it’s the first place that they’re going to see those groups. Unfortunately we didn’t have that opportunity this year, so it’s been tough to get new members. But like I said, big things are in the works.
HW: Also, a lot of people have the idea that a capella groups are very exclusive, which isn’t always the case. I think there’s a space for everyone, even if they don’t know it yet. I mean, I didn’t even speak English, and I’m singing frickin’ a capella now. It’s crazy, you know? I think Slender James is one of the best groups that can provide that sort of space.
CL: I agree. A lot of us here actually tried out for other a capella groups and were rejected, and yet we sound fucking slaytastic. I think this is such an important group for people discovering a capella late in their college careers or people who never thought they would join a group in college at all.
IW: At the end of the day, we’re just here to have a good time, make good music, and have fun with friends. There’s nothing pretentious or exclusive about it.
Inigo Hare can be reached at ihare@wesleyan.edu.
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