2020

Eight Beat Measure began in 1987 as the RIT Men’s Octet. Originally faculty-lead and formed as an extension to the RIT Singers, they quickly expanded their horizons and branched into the world of contemporary a cappella, changing their name to Eight Beat Measure to reflect the new attitude, and expanding from only eight members. The group now sings hip-hop to rock to Irish folk, so there is something for everyone in their repertoire. The boys continue to raise the heat for their audiences at two annual concerts, and now they’re ready to compete on stages all across the country. That heat is in full force on Hollow, the second to last tune on the second Voices Only 2020 album. We sit down with soloist Jarrell Green to talk about this Matt Goldstein arranged powerhouse!

Listen to the song at https://open.spotify.com/track/3dD8EYlNKLMUaPmwbcGEZp?si=Nf9ZPlAGRAGWfAcL9ONSTQ.

Learn more about the group at https://8beat.org.

Founded in 2007, Maize Mirchi was brought together by two students who decided it was time to fuse together two cultures with the power of voice, and bring a new genre of performance to the a cappella stage. Since then, their passion for learning music, their love for beautiful sounds, and their connection to South Asian culture has only grown. Those elements are represented in the gorgeous mash up of Winter Bird and Albela Saja, originally performed by Aurora and Ustad Rashid Khan, respectively. We sit down with arranger Prakash Kumar to talk about this beautiful tune, soloed by Olivia Pak and Swathi Sampath.

Listen to the song at https://open.spotify.com/track/2UsPpQgcKivAGWXXEe5OwG?si=GcCHK8emSBmBExrmkh06Gg.

Learn more about the group at http://www.maizemirchiofficial.com.

Originally founded in 2003, Distilled Harmony has grown from humble beginnings into one of Northeastern’s most recognized a cappella groups. The music they perform, which ranges from mainstream pop to indie rock, is just as varied as the interests and academic backgrounds of each of its members. Yet “ohana” still means family for this fun-loving and ever crowd-pleasing group. And this family created an incredible rendition of Breathe, originally performed by RZLZ, arranged by Johnny DelToro, and soloed by Karizma Kishnani. We sit down with Karizma herself to chat about the tune!

Check out the song at https://open.spotify.com/track/360YnNTpaFaFLvNVqXSdw3?si=AgaFqcqcSqeqFx8hT3hu2Q.

Learn more about the group at https://web.northeastern.edu/distilledharmony.

Profecy A Cappella is an entirely student-led all male A Cappella group at Rowan University. The group’s mission is to both strengthen the presence of A Cappella within the Rowan community, as well as increase Rowan’s presence within the national A Cappella community. The group is well on their way now that their tune Say Amen (Saturday Night), originally performed by Panic! At the Disco has been selected for both BOCA 2020 AND Voices Only 2020! We sit down with music director Tim Catrino to talk about this Matt Goldstein arranged power hitter, soloed by Zack Spencer.

Check out the tune yourself at https://open.spotify.com/track/3asKuPDVT24fVOrZAL6RzW?si=Ak4cFWRGTQ6peg4DdluWVw.

Learn more about the group at https://www.facebook.com/RowanProfecy.

The Vassar Devils started in the fall of 1987 and are now one of eight co-ed a cappella groups at Vassar. The group formed when two members of another campus a cappella group fell in love