Results from Midwest Semis

Ok... so I've read the RARB forum posts on the event, and I don't actually have my notes with me at this very moment, but I have something to say:

Purple. Haze. Was. Amazing. Gasp-worthy. Yum-tastic. Wowsers.

Sure, they had the homecourt advantage. The sound system left a lot to be desired, and some of the groups had some troubles with projection/balance/movement/hitting the mics with their hands. HOWEVER-- PH deserved their win. I wrote after listening to their arrangement of "Samson": This is my favorite song of the night, and we are less than 7 minutes in. I love this girl's voice, and I am really hard on female soloists. I think this should win best arrangement.

And it didn't. But overall, they won and deserved it (AHEM, Jer, AHEM). Why? Because their blend was something I have not heard in a collegiate group in a VERY long time. Because they were consistant. Because every chord locked, every moment was captivating. Because their movement was appropriate. Because they clearly are invested in repping the Midwest:Co-ed style. Because they are bout-it bout-it.

Xchords should've won for choreo, no questions asked. They also chased first place with a fervor; I think they won in the hearts of the audience-- not easy, with a room full of Northwesterners. These boys are talented, good looking, relatively tall, and HILARIOUS. They were extremely entertaining and engaging, and EVERY SINGLE ONE was invested in his own/the group's performance. Other than PH, they were the only group that could say that. A little bird tells me that one of the judges DID NOT RANK THEM in his top 3. What?! Granted, the arrangement of "Chasing Cars" left a bit to be desired for me in the creative department (Blondie agrees with me), and their chords did not always lock. But they were ranked a firm and VERY close second. Even if this peculiar judge had ranked them, the point totals would still not have helped them win over PH... but I do think it peculiar that (NOTE: UPCOMING INFORMATION COMES FROM A POSSIBLY UNRELIABLE SOURCE) one single judge would feel so differently from the other four. I wished feverishly for a tie here-- I would have loved to see the boys go on to finals in New York.


Best soloist? Antuwan Stanley of the D&J has the pipes of a g-d.. but if they'd given out one for best female vocal/ most commanding performance... it was obviously Catherine Brookman for "Samson". She also arranged it. Catherine Brookman: I doubt you read this, but I not-so-secretly want to be your friend so we can harmonize on girly roadtrips and talk about musicals.

::::EDIT: Blondie, please do not be hurt or upset. I did not say "best friend" and I did not ask her to sing Donna Summer/Barbra Streisand. I did not say "sushi roadtrip." I did not include any mention of gossiping about stupid-all-male-groups that-stupid-want-to-stupid-get-in-stupid-pants.There is really only you, my dear.::::

I agreed with best perc-- Cam Branson is one smooth operator.


One more thing before I head off to finish a novel and Friday-night-frolic: I wanted to cry during the Beartones performance. After seeing their near-flawless set at the semis at Washington University in St Louis, I expected these boys to be seated comfortably in the top 3 (My pre-show rankings were 1. Xchords 2. PH 3. Btones)... but apparent illness seemed to lead to a loss of energy in their Rascal Flats number, and there were some tuning issues on the last two songs. Still, JR Neal of the Beartones was one of the best performers of the night with his honest performance of "Apologize". Maybe it's just because I find him adorable (as did the ladies behind me!)... but you can't take your eyes off that boy when he is singing.

On that note-- have a good weekend! I'll be seeing you in New York.