Her Campus already brought you a list of the 12 best college a cappella groups in the country, but with so much amazing musical talent at universities across the United States, it was hard to pick just 12! We decided to share a few more of our favorite scholarly songsters with all of you, so you can add some more tracks to your iTunes. These talented groups will make you laugh, they’ll make you cry, they’ll make you sing along in the mirror with a hairbrush while your roommate is gone… and basically, you’ll fall in love with each and every one of them.
The SoCal VoCals (University of Southern California)
The SoCal VoCals can be best defined by the immortal words of founding member Brock Harris, who said in 1996: “This ain’t no choir, babe.” The SoCal VoCals, who are often called “a party on stage,” were created to be a vocal group dedicated to rock music, not just that silly barbershop stuff that was popular back then. Even their motto, “Hoc Etiam Petrabit,” means “This, too, shall rock” in Latin. Well, kind of—founding member Matt Green had to make up a future tense for the verb “to rock,” since it didn’t exist back in the days of Ancient Rome (those squares). And rock the SoCal VoCals do. The coed ensemble has won The Varsity Vocals International Championship of A Cappella (ICCA) more than any other group ever, taking home first place in 2008, 2010, and 2012. Their version of “Tightrope” appeared on Voices Only 2013. The SoCal VoCals have performed in places such as the Rose Bowl, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Staples Center, the Getty Center, and the Los Angeles House of Blues.
Pitch Slapped (Berklee College of Music)
No, we’re not talking about the tagline from Pitch Perfect; we’re talking about a coed group of amazingly talented Berklee students by whom you definitely won’t mind getting “pitch slapped”. Pitch Slapped was the 2011 champion at the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and has won their ICCA quarterfinal competition every year since they first competed in 2008—but would we expect anything less from students of one of the best music programs in the country? The group also competed in season 2 of The Sing-Off, NBC’s televised a cappella competition judged by Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, Nicole Scherzinger (seasons one and two), and Sara Bareilles (season three)—and we’re still bitter that Pitch Slapped was eliminated so soon. In 2011, Pitch Slapped won first place at SoJam, an a cappella festival in Raleigh, NC. And did we mention they were founded in 2006? That’s a pretty stellar track record for a group that young!
The AcaBelles (Florida State University)
You’ve probably heard the FSU War Chant before (“Shake Ya Tailfeather” was our jam back in middle school), but have you ever heard it dubstep style? Look no further than The AcaBelles’ rendition of their classic school song, which is so well done that even Gator fans would have a hard time denying its awesomeness. With their signature hot pink and black Chuck Taylors, The AcaBelles are an a cappella staple on FSU’s campus. They’re also award-winning; in 2009 and 2011, they were the ICCA South Champion, and they won second place at the 2011 SoJam competition. The group says they’re influenced musically by everything “from Katy Perry to Radiohead and Lady Gaga to The Goofy Movie.” We’re not really sure how The Goofy Movie fits in there, but if The AcaBelles are singing it, we’ll listen.
Vocal Point (Brigham Young University)
BYU Vocal Point is “like a bunch of wholesome ThunderCats,” according to Sing-Off season three judge Sara Bareilles, and they even made judge Ben Folds proclaim: “I’ll never again say that I could never enjoy Bieber sung by a bunch of Mormons.” It’s hard not to love this group of nine men, and even harder if you’re a video game fiend; their Super Mario Medley delighted gamers across the country for its realistic sound effects and hilarious lyrics. The group has won their ICCA regional semi-finals twice, but refused to compete in the final competitions because they were held on a Sunday, which conflicted with their Mormon beliefs. However, in 2006, the final ICCA competition was thankfully held on a Saturday, and Vocal Point won first place. So basically, if you want to win the ICCA competition, make sure it’s on a Sunday so you can avoid getting beat by these talented gents.
The Jabberwocks (Brown University)
Is it just us, or do Ivy League a cappella groups have the coolest names (remember the Whiffenpoofs from Yale?) The Jabberwocks get their quirky name from the Lewis Carroll poem “Jabberwocky.” According to their website, “One night back in ‘49, one of the founding members began reciting the poem, because, well, that’s what you did for fun in 1949. They decided to use the name, and it stuck.” But a cool name isn’t the only thing the Jabberwocks can brag about—they’ve also been honored in the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARA) and had multiple tracks on Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation CDs. The group has performed at Carnegie Hall and appeared on TV in South Korea. And if their silly name didn’t tip you off enough, they also have an adorable sense of humor—check out their cover of “Party in the USA.” We think they give Miley a run for her money.
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The Dear Abbeys (Boston University)
The BU Dear Abbeys could be best described as a bunch of Men Being Manly—no, really, they hold a “Men Being Manly” concert every fall with the Tufts University Beelzebubs. The Dear Abbeys have performed in places such as New Orleans, Florida, San Francisco, New Mexico, Alaska, and even Her Campus’s College Fashion Week: Boston. They’ve also performed with musicians such as Steven Tyler and Ben Folds. The Abbeys are the 2005 ICCA champions, and they have been featured in several BOCA compilation CDs. Their cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” was named an essential a cappella song by iTunes in 2011. If you want to see a concert by these manly men, look for Abraham Lincoln, their official mascot who appears on all of their posters.
Voices in Your Head (University of Chicago)
We can’t get Voices in Your Head’s beautiful music out of our heads, but we’re kind of really okay with it. It’s a pretty simple formula: listen to Voices in Your Head, get instant chills. Their version of “We Found Love” helped win them fourth place in the 2012 ICCA finals and also appeared on both Voices Only 2013 and BOCA 2013. Their hauntingly beautiful cover of Ben Folds Five’s song “Magic” landed them on the 2008 Voices Only CD as well as The Sing-Off judge Ben Folds’ CD “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!” Voices in Your Head was one of 14 groups chosen from more than 250 submissions for this compilation, and it’s easy to see why. Folds was incredibly impressed by their cover, telling Entertainment Weekly: “This version of ‘Magic’ is an example of state-of-the-art a cappella recording.”
Ithacappella (Ithaca College)
Remember General Larry Platt’s “Pants on the Ground” American Idol audition? While Platt’s rendition may not have gotten him past auditions, Ithacappella’s cover of the anti-baggy pants anthem got them featured on American Idol in 2010 during a video montage of people performing the song on the internet. The group has also performed with Incubus and won awards such as best soloist and best vocal percussion at ICCA competitions. While Ithacappella does a lot of main stage performances, they also host workshops at different schools to help promote music education. Their adorable performance of Katy Perry’s “Firework” with the PS22 elementary school chorus in 2011 even caught the attention of Perez Hilton. Watch it and instantly be filled with the warmest of fuzzies.
Nonsequitur (Columbia University)
You can’t love a cappella and not have seen the movie Pitch Perfect. And if you were impressed by some of the male talent in that movie, check out Columbia Nonsequitur—one of their members was actually in it! Columbia freshman Ben Platt portrays Benji Applebaum, a quirky member of the Treblemakers who’s “like, really into close-up magic.” But Ben isn’t Nonsequitur’s only claim to fame; they performed in off-Broadway production Toxic Audio in 2004, and they’ve also toured in Canada. “Nonseq,” as they are often called, also won their ICCA quarterfinal round in 2009. According to the group’s website, they “are all united by a shared commitment to making awesome vocal harmonies, executing killer choreographies, and looking generally attractive.” Well, Benji was pretty cute (albeit bizarre) in Pitch Perfect, so we don’t doubt that.
The Duke’s Men (Yale University)
The Whiffenpoofs aren’t the only amazing a cappella group at Yale. The Duke’s Men were created when an ex-Whiffenpoof stole an arrangement from the group to sing with four freshmen in 1952 (bet you didn’t think there was crime in the world of a cappella, did you?). Since then, “Da Doox” have created their own reputation of excellence, including winning fourth place at the ICCA finals in 2009 and performing in places such as London, Paris, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. The group has also performed for Vanna White and Bill and Hilary Clinton, and their original song “The One to Walk Away” was featured on Voices Only 2013. According to their website, the group charms “presidents and preschoolers alike” with their repertoire “that includes our own arrangements of jazz, pop, soul, classical, show tunes, and one Gaelic song about seaweed.” Hey, if the Whiffs can name themselves after a mythical dragonfish, the Duke’s Men can sing about seaweed… and probably make multiple Yalie women swoon in the process.
The Nor’Easters (Northeastern University)
You may have learned in high school science class that a nor’easter is a kind of storm (or maybe you didn’t… environmental studies was pretty boring), but at Northeastern University, a Nor’Easter is a member of their premier coed a cappella group, which could also be described as a storm… of vocal awesomeness. The Nor’Easters won the ICCA Finals in 2013, and their cover of Bon Iver’s “Woods” appeared on BOCA 2013. The group was also the first runner up for the ICCA Northeast Semifinals in 2011 and 2012. The Nor’Easters’ strength is their variety of music; they’ve sang everything from Mike Posner to Taylor Swift to Bon Iver to Earth, Wind & Fire. The A Cappella Records description of their third album, titled “III,” says it all: “With tracks that will make you strut around your room and then cry the next minute, III offers an unprecedented listening experience.”
What do you think, collegiettes? Do these amazing groups deserve to be on this list, or did we leave out one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!