Rising stars of a capella

On December 30, 2009, in Uncategorized, by The News Staff

The
Beelzebubs newest album, Play The Game is a culmination of two years of
singing, performing, and recording. ~Photo courtesy of bubs.com

Ashley Troutman

Tufts
University's very own a capella group, The Beelzebubs, was selected to
participate in NBC's new television series, "The Sing Off." The Bubs,
twelve male Tufts students, competed with seven other a capella groups
from across the country for one hundred thousand dollars, and a Sony
recording contract. Throughout four episodes, the groups sang their
hearts out for three judges, singers, Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger,
and Shawn Stockman, as well as millions of Americans watching from
their living rooms. "The Sing Off" aired on December 14th and ended
last Monday with an exciting finale.

A group of male students
from Tufts originally started the singing group in 1962, naming
themselves, "Jumbo's Disciples: The Beelzebubs." The name references
the poem, "Paradise Lost," by John Milton. The Bubs have their own
foundation, which provides funding to middle and high school music
programs and their teachers. The award-winning Bubs have recorded
twenty-five studio and three live albums. Most of their recent music
can be found on iTunes.

For the premiere episode of "The Sing
Off" The Bubs stuck to their motto, "Fun through song," and
incorporated theatrical choreography while singing the Beatles'
"Magical Mystery Tour." During the judges critique of their
performance, Stockman said, "It felt like I was watching a Broadway
play." The Bubs made the first cut, but two groups were eliminated.

The
following night, The Bubs performed "Right Round" by Flo Rida and "Come
Sail Away" by Styx, finding a way to appeal to two very different
musical generations. They advanced to the next round where they became
known as "the showmen" for singing "The Who Medley" and crowd favorite
"Sweet Caroline."

Although the final decision would come down
to America's top vote, the judges chose three groups for the finale
show, The Bubs, Nota, and Voices of Lee. During the finale, each group
was asked to share a way they'd brought hope into their own
communities. The Bubs showed a video of when they'd traveled to
Hollenbeck Palms and serenaded the elderly, spreading joy on their
holiday season. Then they entertained the crowd with the Black Eyed
Peas song, "Where is the Love."

For their last performance on
"The Sing Off" stage, The Bubs sang, "You Don't Own Me" with judge
Scherzinger as their lead vocalist. The entertaining collaboration
received a standing ovation. However, Nota, from Puerto Rico, stole the
spotlight and all of America's votes to win the competition.

The
Bubs still managed to gain popularity across the country and coin their
own word, "Bubtastic." To learn more about the group, visit their
website online at www.bubs.com/home.asp. For more information about
"The Sing Off" go to www.nbc.com/sing-off/contestants/.