Hungry for Veritones

In their last concert of the year, the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones fed a small but a capella-hungry Sanders Theater crowd a well-balanced meal of harmony and humor. Showcasing strong voices and varied musical styles, the Veritones performed with energy and polish, and the a capella groupies in the audience shrieked and stomped their satisfaction.

Stephen Fleming's solo in the opening number, Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," was thin and stilted, and Daria Witt's lead in the next number, Smoky Robinson's "Tears of a Clown," was too reserved to convey the song's emotional power. However, both numbers were tightly arranged and well-staged. And the next song, "Since I Fell for You," made for a nice change of pace, with Amy Daley's lead skillfully communicating vulnerability.

The a capella masses swallowed these appetizers and were begging for more when Richard Glenn served the main course with his sprightly rendition of "I'm Into Something Good." The comedy, tragedy and sheer fun of Glenn's performance left nary a dry eye in the house. In the next song, "Just the Two of Us," Myles McDonnell's solid male lead and Dawn Yip's oozing, soulful female lead turned a potentially boring song into a pleasurable experience. And the Veritones' signature song--"Ride My Harley," a spiritual gone astray--was spunky and assumed an absurd dimension with Blasko Ristic's hilarious male soprano.

While "That's the Way It Goes," an ensemble number without a solo, was bland yet well sung, the songs that followed, "Hodja" and "How Dare You" were spicier, with Rebecca Musher, Blasko Ristic and Victoria Martinez giving impressive performances. The subdued, jazzy "I'm Feelin' Right" and "The Carwash Blues," featuring a strong solo from Tim Krochuck and humorous staging, rounded out the set. Unfortunately, the encores did not provide the tasty a capella treats the crowd demanded, although Karin Hagaman's beautiful, quivering alto gave "If' a touch of style.

All in all, the Veritones' song choices, arrangements and polished delivery made the jam a highly palatable smorgasbord. The skits between the songs, most notably a parody of composers' lost lyrics, were very clever. It's a shame more people didn't show up for the concert; there was plenty of song to go around.

The Princeton Tigertones, opening for the Veritones, ended a three-and-a-half-year absence on this campus with a performance that destroyed any chances of re-invitation for the next three-and-a-half years. No wonder Neil Rudenstine left Princeton and chose Harvard.

Although their numbers were well sung, the Tigertones did not exactly push the limits of a capella excitement. With the exceptions of "Kiss the Girl," from The Little Mermaid, and a medley of college alma maters, the Tigertones' performance was little more than a sleeping pill. Among their crimes: stripping the soul from "My Girl." It is ironic that the group sang "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp Shu Bomp Shu Bomp)"--the answer certainly was not the Tigertones.

Stay tuned for reviews of the Din and Tonics, Pitches and many other Harvard-Radcliffe a cappela groups in upcoming Arts pages.