Fall Semester Concert!

7 Days is pleased to announce that the annual fall semester concert will be held this Sunday at 3PM. in the Coffman Theater
This year's concert will feature a performance by Basses Wild and will also have Qdoba food available for purchase. The concert will be sure to please all in attendance. For tickets, visit www.umnsevendays.com. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Hope to see you there!

New A Cappella group of the week

This weeks new a cappella group of the week is Capital Green from the Michigan State. This group always puts on a great show, with upbeat performances and talented vocalists. This 16 member group has an 11 year history of great music, from perfomances at ICCA to televised specials.

This is Capital Green singing "Loli Loli" at 2009 ICCA quarterfinals.

Enjoy!

7 Days video of the week

This 7 Days video of the week is one of my favorites. This video is Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" sung by Kristi Thompson. This fun country song (why it is one of my favorites) is upbeat and sung by our powerful soloist Kristi.

This classic 7 Days song was sung at Acappella fest in 2009 at the Whole Music Club
Enjoy!

Glee!

Today I would like to talk about the TV show Glee. Glee is an amazingly popular show about a high school glee club. (Just in case you didnt know) This show has become revolutionary for a cappella.

Although the show is not technically a cappella (a cappella does not use intruments, glee does use instruments), it has opened the door for a cappella groups all across the nation.

Glee exposes teens and younger people to the wonder that is a cappella (ish) music and the ability to create wonderful music with your closest friends. People see the show and wonder what else is out there on the internet. They see the show and immediately look into a cappella groups at their universities.

Here is one of my favorite glee clips that started it all!
Enjoy

New A Cappella group of the week

This new a cappella group video of the week continues on the theme of showcasing the groups from our ICCA quarterfinal.

This weeks group is Amazin Blue from the University of Michigan. This talented group always takes the competition by storm. Being a home crowd group, they are always a crowd pleaser. Their 15 members create a unique sound. The group has produced eight CDs and has been featured on BOCA.

This is Amazin Blue singin "Walking on Sunshine".


Enjoy!

7 Days video of the week

This weeks 7 Days video of the week is "Use Somebody" by the Kings of Leon, sung by powerhouse vocalist Patrick Terry.

This song is always a crowd favorite because of its power and energy. Also the song is just pretty darn cool. This is a high energy song that the whole group enjoys to sing

This video is from Acappella Fest last fall in the Whole Music Club in Coffman Memorial Union.

Enjoy

BOCA

Well this post is meant to encourage all of you to get out there and discover some great a capella music. The CD BOCA (Best of collegiate A Cappella) showcases the best groups from all over the country and their recorded music.

These groups submit a copy of their CD into Varsity Vocals (the same company that runs ICCA) and then the BOCA committee looks over the CD's and decided which songs go onto the CD.

The songs that are selected are the best a cappella songs out there and it is an honor to have your song selected.

New A Cappella group of the week

This weeks new a cappella group of the week will start the beginning of profiling the other groups who we will be competing against in this years ICCA competition.

This group is called acafellas from Michigan State University. This annual powerhouse all men group was founded in 1996 and now has eight members. This group is always sure to amuse a crowd with their rich harmonic blend. This is a video of them singing "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal. Click and enjoy!

7 Days video of the week

The 7 Days video of the week is from the high school version of ICCA in DeKalb, IL. The song is "Baba O'Reily" by The Who.

This high energy song is a favorite of the group, with member Dan Bahnaman singing the solo. This song usually appeals to an older crowd, because the group usually does not focus on classic rock songs! Click and enjoy!

ICCA placement: a familiar crew

Today we finally got word of where our placement is for ICCA. Just in case for those who have not been paying attention, ICCA is a national event where a cappell groups from around the country come and compete for national recognition.

We were really hoping to be placed in Chicago for time and distance measures, but instead were placed in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the University of Michigan at Friday, February 11th. This is where we were placed two years ago with many of the same groups that we performed against that year. There are many groups from the home university, so the competition should be fierce.

It is a long drive out there from Minnesota, but it will pay off when we get the ability to showcase our ability to the Midwest.

Quarterfinal 2: University of Michigan
Friday, February 11th, 2011 at 8pm
Rackham Auditorium
915 E. Washington, Ann Arbor, MI
Featuring:
12th Street Harmony Hope College
7 Days University of Minnesota
The Accafellas Michigan State University
Amazin' Blue University of Michigan
Capital Green Michigan State University
Central Harmony Central Michigan University
The Dicks and Janes University of Michigan
Euphoria Grand Valley State University
The G-Men University of Michigan
GV GrooVe! Grand Valley State University

New A Cappella group of the week

This week's new A Cappella group of the week is the Enchantments, the all girls a cappella group at the University of Minnesota. This completes the a cappella scene at the U, now having covered 7 Days, Basses Wild, and now the Enchantments.

All three groups form an integral part of the a cappella scene at the U and continue to improve as the years continue on. This video is an impromptu performance of Destiny Child's "Say my Name". Click here and enjoy!

7 Days video of the week

This 7 Days video of the week is because of our most recent entry into the ICCA competition. This video is 7 Days performing Viva la Vida at the ICCA midwest quarterfinals in Ann Arbor Michigan in 2009. Carrie Noble sings the solo on this song full of vibrant chords and choreography. See Video!

ICCA put to rest or back to life??!!

In my last post I stated that the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella was put to rest of the year mostly due to financial restrictions. The competition would most likely be in another state which would mean lots of money in gas and hotel costs. This money is money that we dont exactly have in our bank account. BUT.....

Many alumni have stated concern for us not competing this year and have vocally pledged funds for us to go to ICCA this year. Upon discussing it in the group, we decided to gauge to see if we could get enough donated money to go the competition. Interest was high in new members and after totaling up all the money that members and parents etc. would be willing to pledge, we have decided as a group to compete in ICCA this year!

We have contacted the national organizer of the event and she said that she was waiting for us to apply to the program and that we are such an addition to the competition every year. Because we were late on the application deadline, she let us apply to the event and assured our entry AND waived our application fee.

7 Days is back on the national circuit!

ICCA

7 Days has a history of competing in a annual competition called ICCA (International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella). This event sponsored by Varsity Vocal, which specializes in A Cappella music, organizes this event to showcase collegiate A Cappella from across the nation.

This year we have decided to opt out of this competition due to financial reasons (we are a college group) and a split in the group about the competition in general. This annual event takes up a lot of time for the group that could be spent on other things. However it does present the opportunity to compete on a national scale and showcase the group in general. The topic of ICCA has been put to rest for the year as other similar events in Eau Claire, WI have come up.

New A Cappella Group of the Week

Here is the new a cappella group of the week. This is meant for all those a cappella enthusiasts to explore the huge world that is college a cappella music. This week's group is actually from the same school as 7 Days. They are great friends with 7 Days and are a 2nd year all mens group. Here they are--Basses Wild!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXuBEl0tZd4
(copy and paste the link)

7 Days Video of the Week

Here is the 7 Days A Cappella video of the week! This song is from the Most recent spring concert last year held in McNamara. The song is a 7 Days classic, Michael Buble's Feelin' Good. Patrick Terry sings the solo on this song and absolutely rocks the house with his rendition. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43X9JzpqFpM
(copy and paste the URL)

Retreat 2010

This is the first official post of the new 7 Days blog! Why not start it with one of the most fun events of the year for the group, the annual retreat to Lake Beauregard located in Northern Wisconsin. The retreat is a special weekend trip for the group because it builds stronger friendships, reinforces group unity, develops new music strategies, and most importantly it is so much fun! The retreat is situated in a cabin that belongs to the family of Jimmy Tracy, a recent alumni of the group. The lake property is perfect for relaxing walks, canoe trips, and jumping in leaf piles that truly brings the group together.


The retreat consists of two main parts. The first part is the actual music learning process. 7Days just welcomed six new members into the group, so having them learn the music we sing is a critical part of sounding great. The retreat days consist of at least four hours of rehearsal focusing on dynamics, pronunciation, and blending. The second part of the retreat focuses on important group bonding experiences. We focused on group "facilitations", activities that are both fun and meaningful. An example is the group member fill in the blanks activity. This consists of group members finding out information about other members, ranging from their major in college to guilty pleasure television show. Facilitations such as these bring the group closer together as they prepare for their first semester concert on Dec. 5. (Details to follow about the concert in later posts) 7 Days couldn't have asked for a more successful and fun retreat!