It turns out rock bands have it all wrong. Drums and guitars aren't needed to create modern, catchy music - it just takes a group of voices.
On Saturday night, 230 people gathered in the Performing Arts Center at P.K. Yonge to watch a capella ensembles from across the state compete in the 2009 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella.
The competition featured two groups each from UF, Florida State University and the University of Central Florida.
Each team performed three or four songs for three judges. The panel ranked the teams based on vocal and visual quality.
Judge Paul Mayhew, a Ph.D. candidate in choral music education at FSU, said that a winning performance is a mix of vocal talent, good soloists, clear diction, choreography and stage presence.
"Sometimes you just know it by the way they connect with the audience and the audience's response," he said.
Performances ranged in style from the somber resonance of The Beatles' "Blackbird," sung by the FSU's Reverb, to the fast-paced, energetically choreographed rendition of Tally Hall's "Banana Man," performed by UCF's Crescendudes.
Several groups also sang modern hits like Duffy's "Mercy," dedicated to Tim Tebow by all-female UF group The Sedoctaves, and Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," by UF's co-ed group No Southern Accent.
No Southern Accent's performance of "Viva La Vida" was named outstanding vocal percussion.
FSU's AcaBelles beat-boxed and crooned their way to first place, followed by first runner-up Reverb, also from FSU.
The Sedoctaves, who perfomed in hot pink stilettos and matching belts, hosted the event and were named second runner-up.
Though the ranking does not qualify them for the next round of the ICCA, vice president Michaela Valenti, a sophomore anthropology major at UF, said the Sedoctaves are thrilled with the outcome.
"It was a great experience," Valenti said. "We got our name out there."
