Athens Christmas celebrations will continue with the New Chords on the Block performing on the steps of the Athens Courthouse on Wednesday evening.
Spreading holiday cheer, however, isn’t the only task to be checked off the a cappella group’s to-do list.
The organization, which was founded in 2010 by current president Sarah Mason, will take on three gigs during the final week of classes, a huge development from when they began two years ago.
“In the beginning it was rough because we were brand-spanking new,” said Trevor Patton, vice president of the New Chords on the Block. “Other groups have experience and arrangements, their ball was already rolling; we had to get ours started. Where we came from our first show has been leaps and bounds.”
A cappella performance is creating music without any instrumental accompaniment. Groups who practice a cappella often create different sounds with their mouths to simulate instruments, which can include beat boxing, in addition to singing.
“It puts a different twist on the popular songs you’re used to hearing on the radio,” said Mason, a senior studying music education.
A cappella performance has made a comeback in popular culture thanks to shows such as Fox’s Glee and movies such as Pitch Perfect.
“I would have to say the media has had a lot of influence on a cappella groups,” said Colleen Geraghty, a senior in the New Chords studying speech-language pathology. “(Although) Ohio University a cappella groups blow Lea Michele out of the water.”
Out of the five total a cappella groups on campus, the New Chords on the Block is the only coed ensemble and is not affiliated with the School of Music.
Along with the Christmas celebrations, the New Chords on the Block will perform at the men’s basketball game at halftime Saturday as part of a talent competition and at Scripps Amphitheater on Sunday for a fundraiser for the Humane Society.
Patton, a junior studying journalism, said he’s been doing a cappella since high school and that it’s entertaining, interesting music.
“It’s fun music; it’s different because you need nothing but your voices,” Patton said. “You can tell the people who are singing are having fun, and so the people in the audience have fun as well.”
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