2008 Woodie Awards
Jammin' with the Pointercounts
Melissa Tinklepaugh
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: A&E
The Potsdam Pointercounts, the A Sharp Arrangement, the Potsdam Pitches, and Ithaca College's VoiceStream performed March 15 in Hosmer Hall in the Pointercounts' 15th Annual A Cappella Jam.
After Potsdam Pointercount President Derek Pooley opened the show with a few words, A Sharp members Sarah Zenir, Emily Kowalski, and Emma Apsel took the stage to act out, in "Valley Girl" tones, a skit to introduce the Pointercounts. Wearing tuxedos, the men walked mechanically onto the stage, and while singing "Stronger," Kanye West's remake of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," and dancing the robot, one of the girls exclaimed the A Sharps already did that. "Stronger" was one of the Sharps' songs at their fall invitational.
After a voice announcer introduced each Pointercount with hometowns and jersey numbers, the male a cappella group began its first set of the night with Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" with lead sung by Rob Valentine. They followed with Something Corporate's "Fall" with lead by Steve Dwyer, Timbaland and One Republic's "Apologize" with lead by Robby Castro, Panic at the Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" with lead by Steve House, and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" with lead by Steve Dwyer. During the latter song the men transitioned into Journey's "Anyway You Want It" for a chorus and imitated the A Sharps' dance moves for the song.
The Pointercounts' own introduction by members of the A Sharps wasn't the only skit of the night. Between performances, members of the 'Counts used humorous interludes to introduce the performing groups, such as Pooley and Music Director Zach Lenox taking the stage in t-shirts and boxers. Before the A Sharps took the stage, the Pointercounts came out wearing white shirts, each with a letter written on it, spelling out A Sharps. The backs of their shirts spelled out "Get it Girls."
The A Sharps performed Sara Bareilles's "Love Song" with lead by Maria Diaz, Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" with lead by Emma Apsel, James Taylor's "Close Your Eyes," and Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" with lead by Emily Kowalski. The Sharps had a unique choreography and arrangement for "Love Song;" the lead was a decent attempt at a song that holds a lot more power as sang by Sara Bareilles. "Heartbreaker" seemed as if it could have been a fun, enjoyable a cappella remake of the 1999 light-hearted pop song. The soloist seemed as if she tried to sing it too much in Mariah Carey's tone of voice. Apsel, who usually does well with her solos, made me wonder during the first part of the song if the performance was meant seriously. The A Sharps surprised and delighted the audience though with their rap in "Heartbreaker." They reworked the words of the rap to pertain to the group and the 'Counts; this segment showed off the group's personality and was a versatile strength.
After Potsdam Pointercount President Derek Pooley opened the show with a few words, A Sharp members Sarah Zenir, Emily Kowalski, and Emma Apsel took the stage to act out, in "Valley Girl" tones, a skit to introduce the Pointercounts. Wearing tuxedos, the men walked mechanically onto the stage, and while singing "Stronger," Kanye West's remake of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," and dancing the robot, one of the girls exclaimed the A Sharps already did that. "Stronger" was one of the Sharps' songs at their fall invitational.
After a voice announcer introduced each Pointercount with hometowns and jersey numbers, the male a cappella group began its first set of the night with Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" with lead sung by Rob Valentine. They followed with Something Corporate's "Fall" with lead by Steve Dwyer, Timbaland and One Republic's "Apologize" with lead by Robby Castro, Panic at the Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" with lead by Steve House, and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" with lead by Steve Dwyer. During the latter song the men transitioned into Journey's "Anyway You Want It" for a chorus and imitated the A Sharps' dance moves for the song.
The Pointercounts' own introduction by members of the A Sharps wasn't the only skit of the night. Between performances, members of the 'Counts used humorous interludes to introduce the performing groups, such as Pooley and Music Director Zach Lenox taking the stage in t-shirts and boxers. Before the A Sharps took the stage, the Pointercounts came out wearing white shirts, each with a letter written on it, spelling out A Sharps. The backs of their shirts spelled out "Get it Girls."
The A Sharps performed Sara Bareilles's "Love Song" with lead by Maria Diaz, Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" with lead by Emma Apsel, James Taylor's "Close Your Eyes," and Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" with lead by Emily Kowalski. The Sharps had a unique choreography and arrangement for "Love Song;" the lead was a decent attempt at a song that holds a lot more power as sang by Sara Bareilles. "Heartbreaker" seemed as if it could have been a fun, enjoyable a cappella remake of the 1999 light-hearted pop song. The soloist seemed as if she tried to sing it too much in Mariah Carey's tone of voice. Apsel, who usually does well with her solos, made me wonder during the first part of the song if the performance was meant seriously. The A Sharps surprised and delighted the audience though with their rap in "Heartbreaker." They reworked the words of the rap to pertain to the group and the 'Counts; this segment showed off the group's personality and was a versatile strength.
Be the first to comment on this story