A capella sounds off at local church

A capella groups join together in a Missouri musical showdown.

By Jess Camp

Published March 14, 2007

A cappella groups from across Missouri came together Saturday night to get down and groove at First Baptist Church in downtown Columbia. Although the concert was held in a church, the performers sang no religious hymns. Instead the night was all about leanin' with it and rockin' with it. The singers were energized and belted out hits such as Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" and the All-American Rejects' "Move Along."

Mizzou Forte, a co-ed a cappella group at MU, organized the showdown of songs sans instruments.

"A cappella is new to this campus," Mizzou Forte President Michael Moramarco said. "No one knows about it. We wanted to get people at MU excited, so we had a concert with different a cappella groups."

The other performing groups were two groups from Truman State University called True Men and Sweet Nothings; a female ensemble called A Cub Bella from Missouri State University; and the all-male group Add 9 from MU.

Audience member Marie Doggan has a daughter who has been accepted to all three of the represented universities, and she jokingly considered this concert as a battle to see which university would win her daughter.

"I am a music enthusiast," Doggan said. "It's really awesome, and they're all really good."

A Cub Bella member Kelly Osbourne said she loves performing and doesn't get nervous. She said since her group is composed of all girls, they are like a bunch of supportive sisters, and the support helps to soothe the nerves.

"We love each other and have fun together," Osbourne said. "That radiates into the crowd."

Add 9 member Ryan Sextro said he had a great time at the performance.

"It was awesome," he said. "It's a rush. But once you're on stage it's OK."

Sextro said his favorite song to perform is Big & Rich's "Save A Horse, Ride a Cowboy."

Moramarco said Mizzou Forte's motto is "don't suck." Before every show, the members get in a huddle, put their hands together and throw them in the air while saying the motto.

A cappella might not seem exciting, but it sounds similar to music on a radio. In fact, listeners might think that a background track is being played because the music sounds more than human voices.

"There's not a chance that we use anything other than our mouths to make music," Moramarco said.

For those who missed the show, Add 9 will sponsor its first annual beat-off contest on April 26.