Tooting Each Other’s Horns

  COURTNEY STEWART/Daily Bruin Staff Spring Sing is
tonight; there will be comedy, music, and other top secret
entertainment.

By Shana Dines
Daily Bruin Reporter
[email protected]

At the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Wednesday night, the mood
was high and the temperature was low. All those preparing for the
production of Spring Sing 2002, UCLA’s biggest talent show,
were positive and excited about Friday’s show.

Themed “For the Record,” this year’s Spring
Sing performance is touted as being the best UCLA has ever
seen.

It will continue all of the time-honored traditions of Spring
Sing, including exhibiting UCLA’s student talent in the
categories of solo, duet, band, a cappella, and production. Changes
to this year’s show include a special pre-show performance of
the national anthem, stage changes, and some other undisclosed
special acts before the actual competition.

As the tradition holds, every year Spring Sing honors someone
with the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical
Achievement. Past winners have included Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles,
Ella Fitzgerald, Tom Petty, and Clive Davis. This year, Stevie
Wonder will join the ranks of GIG winners.

“We wanted to honor a performer this year to go along with
our talent acts,” said Nemika Trotter, the executive director
and a fifth year communication studies student. “We also want
to promote the fact that he’s been in the music industry for
so long and he’s been giving back so much.”

Stevie Wonder will be at Friday’s show to accept his
award. There is a possibility that he will perform, according to
Trotter.

 

The Spring Sing Company, who has the job of entertaining the
audience in between acts, is also making some changes to this
year’s agenda. Instead of the skits that were done last year,
they will be performing more song parodies.

“Laugh at us, and point and throw things,” said
Jason Eason, a company member and third year psychology student.
“If we can get that kind of reaction, we know we’re
doing our jobs.”

After surviving a rigorous sequence of auditions and call-backs,
the ten company members were chosen for their talent and humor.
They said that they prefer being in the company because they get to
do their own material, appear in the entire show, don’t have
to worry about competition, and get the chance to steal the
show.

“We’re the lightning. No, they’re the
lightning, we’re the thunder,” said Brad Golden of the
company.

Known for its racy content, the company did have to cut some of
the original material in order to avoid controversy. A frat boy
scene was deemed too offensive, as well as a Snoop Doggy Dogg
parody that included the taboo phrase “F’ed up bitch
skank.”

The main attractions, of course, are the competitors. This year,
80 student groups auditioned, the top 16 will perform on
Friday.

  COURTNEY STEWART/Daily Bruin Staff

In the category of solo acts, there will be four competitors.
Returning from massive praise in last year’s competition is
Richey Lam who will perform his song “College Years.”
Court Alexander will perform “I’m Trying.” Fourth
year student and Spring Sing veteran Sara Bareilles will perform
“Gravity.” Finally, Jonathan Keyes, who wisely
transferred from USC this past year, will perform his original song
“I Know.”

“Spring Sing is not on television and it’s not huge,
but I think it’s done in a manner that’s respectful and
I think that people enjoy doing it,” Keyes said, who saw
participation in Spring Sing as one of the main reasons for coming
to UCLA.

The duet competition will include 57 Views, which is ironically
composed of only two men, singing “Angel.” Another pair
of crooners, Sketchy Randoms, are performing the original song
“P.I.M.P.” Spring Sing veterans and members of Awaken A
Cappella Sarah Ziemba and alumnus Will Heermance will perform
“Bring on the Rain” with keyboard accompaniment.

In the band category, three UCLA garage bands will duke it out
for the Spring Sing honor. Honay Babay will perform “Nice and
Blank,” while Thomas’ Apartment will play “I am
So Confused.” Winston Thought, which includes an electric
violin, fuses together the flavors of pop-punk, ska, jazz, and big
band music for their song “Malibu.”

A cappella performances, which are what Spring Sing was
originally centered around, will be the highlight of the
competition. The all-male group Acapella Fellas will perform
“Sugarcane Jubilee” in their barbershop-quartet
style.

  Motown Yes, that is Stevie Wonder, not
Barry White. Wonder is coming to Spring Sing to receive the
Gershwin award.

Awaken A Cappella again adds its co-ed singing and dancing
performance to the field. As last year’s winners, they are
excited to return to the stage.

According to member Brittany Longdon, they were all particularly
excited to meet Stevie Wonder. They almost performed one of his
songs as a tribute, but finally decided on George Michael’s
“Freedom.”

The final category is the productions, which consist of members
of a fraternity and a sorority performing together. Alpha Gamma
Omega and Alpha Epsilon Phi will join up to put on the skit
“Road Trip.” Theta Chi and Alpha Phi have paired off to
decide who are the ultimate king and queen of pop music in their
skit, “Pop Royalty Death Match 2002.” Pi Kappa Phi and
Gamma Phi Beta will show school spirit in their skit
“Decision Making 101,” in which they give musical
presentations on UCLA and USC.

“We’ve worked so hard and we have so much fun doing
it,” Lori Shaffer said. “We love it, and as a result of
Spring Sing, we’ve gotten so close as friends,
too.”

The overall consensus of the performers was that no one really
seems to care if they win or lose. All were excited enough to have
made it to compete and feel honored as it is. The mood at rehearsal
was relaxed and jovial.

Though the participants may be all about the warm fuzzies, keep
in mind that the tennis courts get mighty cold at night. So,
“For the Record,” dress warmly.