UCLA Christian a cappella group Road to Damascus to hold spring concert “˜Gravitate’

UCLA’s musical group Road to Damascus includes singers from a wide range of musical backgrounds and tastes, from one member who is trained in classical violin to another who was part of a screamo band throughout high school. However, the singers aren’t the only elements that make Road to Damascus a standout group; it’s also the only Christian co-ed a cappella group at UCLA.

Tonight, Road to Damascus will hold its annual spring concert in the Ackerman Green Room ““ its only concert of the year. The group will perform all 11 songs in its musical repertoire.

The group does not strictly sing Christian hymns, but also songs from a variety of different genres, including pop songs from Michelle Branch and The Goo Goo Dolls and country music from Carrie Underwood.

The concert is titled “Gravitate,” a name inspired by the group’s favorite Black Eyed Peas song “Where is the Love?” It will feature a Christian a cappella act from USC, who started its group after one of Road to Damascus’ performances.

The band will also include an original song from singer-songwriter Yuki Akaishi, third-year ethnomusicology student and the group’s current president.

Clement Lee, fourth-year psychobiology student and founder said that the a cappella act is named after the biblical story in which Paul of Tarsus, a man who initially persecuted Christians, traveled on the road to Damascus. An encounter with God soon changes his life and allows him to follow Christianity and eventually become an apostle.

Prior to the group’s formation in 2009, Lee said he wanted to introduce the UCLA a cappella scene to a different type of music.

“The musical atmosphere at UCLA was very polarized toward (songs about) partying. There was a lack of positivity in the music,” Lee said.

Lee then assembled a group of 10 friends from various musical backgrounds to sing songs with a different type of message.

“Christian music has a lot of power. It can lift people’s spirit and hopefully change their outlook on life,” Lee said.

Lee said past performances have often led members of the audience to ask for prayer requests and have even brought some to tears.

Kevin Hong, a second-year pre-psychology and pre-economics student, left another a cappella group and joined Road to Damascus this year. Hong said he was attracted to the group’s focus on aspects beyond performance and reputation.

“If you just want to be entertained, that’s great, we can provide that, but we also want to influence you in some way through our music. We just want to show people how much our lives have changed because of God,” Hong said.

Lee said the group wants to impact people, even if they don’t come from a Christian background.
“We want the music and the concert to be an open platform to talk about what the audience believes in,” Lee said.

Hong said the group is also trying to grow and make its way into the a cappella scene by reaching out to people from all types of cultural backgrounds.

Hong said Road to Damascus is working on improving the entertainment aspect of its performance. As a result, Road to Damascus will incorporate solos and comedic skits into its performance as well.

Akaishi said she hopes the concert continues to build the group’s reputation. Road to Damascus hones its performance skills at different venues such as weddings and cultural events at UCLA.

“It’s a concert we work toward all year. It’s a time to celebrate with family and friends. … We are known for the music we make and believe in making music showing God and his love of others,” Akaishi said.