The loud music resonating through Central Campus Wednesday night was due to a free concert, complete with free food. Four a cappella groups competed in the Central Campus A cappella Off.
Among the groups competing were the Ladies in Red, A Cappology 101 and Wolfgang from N.C. State and the UNC Walk-Ons from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Five resident advisors and two resident directors from University Housing organized the competition as part of a series of events coordinated to engage students living on campus.
First to perform were the Ladies in Red. Dressed in black shirts and jeans, the girls opted for red accents, such as heels and jewelry.
Laura Little, a senior in mathematics education, performed in red stilettos.
“I’m here to plug the Ladies in Red concert on March 17 in Stewart Theatre,” she said.
Little is one of two directors for the a cappella group, which is coming out with a 13-track CD entitled Retrospection.
Free food was available for students outside and some people stayed to hear Joss Stone’s “Right to Be Wrong” and the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Black Balloon.”
The second group to sing was the UNC Walk-Ons.
Travis Johnson, a senior in psychology at UNC-CH, introduced the group with “Good afternoon, everyone,” even though the event took place from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. The third group to perform was A Cappology 101.
According to Amy McDonald, a performer with A Cappology 101 and a junior in business management, she was just there to have a good time.
“It’s really cool [that the UNC Walk-Ons] came out here. We don’t usually get to interact with other groups,” McDonald said.
Last on stage was Wolfgang, which performed, “Swing, Swing” by the All-American Rejects, “Hook” by Blues Traveler, and “Perfect” by Simple Plan.
Each a cappella group performed three songs, and the winner, who was third to perform, was A Cappology 101. The group received a trophy for Best Group in the Triad, a stack of blank CDs to use for recording and an invitation for a paid gig at an event that University Housing will host.
Brian Ingram, a sophomore in biological engineering, and Damon Hughes, a senior in biological sciences, both emceed and helped organize the event.
According to Ingram, he hopes to see the event become more than an one-time deal.
“I’d like to see this as the start of a new tradition and continue to make it bigger and better every year.” Correspondent Megan Peters contributed to this report.
