Rain…or Shine
By Jessica Rodgers
April 28, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Who needs “American Idol” when we have our very own
high-drama performance contest, Spring Sing, right here at
UCLA?
Friday night, 17 acts in the categories of solo/duet, band, a
cappella/ensemble and production will each have three minutes to
belt out their best tune in front of an audience of 5,000 people at
the UCLA Tennis Center.
And while the winners may not necessarily end up landing a
record deal, they will gain a lot of exposure.
“There are 5,000 people seeing you,” said
fourth-year religious studies student Mark Chipello, part of the
duo, Mark and Tyrone. “If you’re good and you stand
out, it will create a buzz and people will look up your
name.”
Close to 70 acts tried out this winter in hopes of attaining one
of the coveted 17 spots in the legendary production.
Mark and Tyrone were one of the acts that successfully made it
through the auditioning process and earned the opportunity to play
in Friday’s show.
The two met in January, when Chipello, with his band Stafford,
played a sold-out show at the House of Blues with Tyrone Wells, who
was named Male Artist of the Year at the 2003 Orange County Music
Awards. One of Wells’ songs also recently played on the WB
television show, “One Tree Hill.”
Chipello approached Wells about doing an act with him for Spring
Sing, and Wells, who had heard about the event and knew that
musician James Taylor would be honored with the George and Ira
Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award, quickly agreed.
“I’m excited to play in the same vicinity as James
Taylor,” Wells said. “Even if he doesn’t hear me,
the feeling that he’ll be walking on the same stage is so
cool.”
Auditioning for Spring Sing includes performing a piece in front
of a panel. But unlike the judges on “American Idol,”
who are more than happy to be vocal about their opinions of the
performer, the Spring Sing panel was largely unresponsive. They
kept quiet in an attempt to remain objective through the decision
process.
For musicians used to playing in front of night club crowds, the
no-nonsensical mood of the auditioning room made it a little
uncomfortable.
“The auditions are super-serious and formal,”
Chipello said. “Everyone’s very stoic and strict. At
the end, they just stare at you and you don’t know if they
loved it or hated it.”
Even after the selection, the panel watches each act three or
four more times to make sure it is in good shape for Friday
night.
“Out of all the gigs I’ve played, it’s the
most carefully planned,” Wells said.
The three-minute time restriction plays a huge factor in
determining what song each act will perform. Mark and Tyrone had to
switch songs because their original was over the time limit and
didn’t lend itself easily to cutting out parts.
“Because it’s only one song, I picked one that
showcases my voice and songwriting and Mark’s ability (on
drums),” Wells said. “But it’s hard in one song
to say, “˜This is what I’m about,’ because I have
songs that are very different.”
For third-year psychobiology student Tina Lin, a member of the
all-female a cappella group, Random Voices, the event will be a
chance for exposure.
“We’re really doing Spring Sing for the fun of it
““Â we don’t see it as a competition,” Lin
said. “We wanted to expose UCLA to a cappella and take part
in the tradition.”
Random Voices will be performing a lounge version of “Baby
Got Back.”
“It’s such a crowd pleaser,” Lin said.
“People don’t expect the song to be arranged in jazz
style, and it’s just funny seeing 12 girls on stage singing
“˜Baby Got Back’ and shaking their booties.”
Fifth-year political science student Ed Rhee, who is performing
a solo with keyboard that he wrote, sees Spring Sing as an
opportunity to help him launch a career in music. For Rhee, it is
precisely the competitive aspect of Spring Sing that has enticed
him to play in Friday’s performance.
“Part of me just wants to have fun,” Rhee said.
“Last year the competition didn’t matter, but I ended
up getting honorable mention, so I want to win this year’s
(competition).”
Music isn’t the only entertainment bringing people to
Spring Sing. When third-year religious studies and psychology major
Kevin Hampton watched Company perform in Spring Sing his freshman
year, he thought the group was hilarious and wanted to be a part of
it.
This is now Hampton’s second year in Company, the group
that entertains the audience in between musical acts. While he
finds being a part of the group a lot of fun, he can sum up the
time commitment in two words:
“It’s insane.”
The 12 Company members returned from Spring Break and started
meeting three times a week. They now meet every day and put in over
20 hours a week in order to complete 17 skits and film four videos
for Friday night. With classes and part-time jobs, the lives of
Company members have been more than a little hectic lately.
“It’s hard, but what you’re doing is fun, so
it doesn’t bug you ““ but I definitely haven’t
done any school work in a couple of weeks,” Hampton said.
Since the audience is primarily made up of UCLA students,
Company tries to make their skits about things students can relate
to, like UCLA athletics, events on campus, pop music and major
media events that took place throughout the year.
Although the Company members are all outgoing, funny people,
they are by no means identical. Company boasts members from all
parts of campus life, from an engineering student to sorority girls
and frat guys.
“We’re here to entertain the audience and make
people laugh,” Hampton said. “We’re known to be
outrageous and push the envelope.”
Audience members can count on laughing without getting drenched
this year. After last year’s rainy disaster, Executive
Director Emily Frum is prepared for anything that can happen the
night of the show, including moving Spring Sing inside Pauley
Pavilion in the event of another rain storm.
Planning for Spring Sing started last spring, when Frum was
elected to her position. Frum has enjoyed watching the show come
together over the past year and looks forward to seeing
everyone’s hard work pay off.
“I hope that everyone has a wonderful night of seeing UCLA
students at their finest, and they leave feeling really good about
UCLA and the population here,” Frum said.
