Our beloved Obertones seduced yet another willing audience last Saturday evening at Fairchild Chapel.
The small church, which was packed to capacity, provided an intimate setting for the concert. Its vaulted ceilings allowed for ample acoustics and its softly lit corridors set the mood. The wooden pews creaked and groaned as students and faculty crammed together, awaiting the arrival of the all-male a cappella group. The modest size of the chapel could not accommodate all of Oberlin’s campus, so some patrons had to be content with standing quietly at the rear of the church. The audience, consisting of newcomers as well as die-hard fans, chattered quietly, but when the singers finally appeared, everyone applauded thunderously.

The Obertones bounded from the back of the chapel wearing dark jumpsuits like angels in mechanics’ outfits. The audience settled down as the group arranged themselves at the front of the church. Then the music began.

The first note forced the audience into a spellbound silence, lulling everyone present into a state of deep contentment. The singers’ individual vocal styles flawlessly blended together and evoked a heavenly sound. Highlights of the repertoire were “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chilli Peppers and “Take On Me” by Ah Ha. The Obertones made it possible for their listeners to really concentrate on the music. For an hour the audience seemed to forget the paper that had to be finished and the job that had to be done and lost themselves in the sensations that the Obertones evoked.
Founded in 1984, the Obertones consist of eleven members who each bring a distinctive sound to the group. When asked what he hopes the group sounds like, first year ’Tone Frederick Effinger said, “A bunch of instruments and a singer. If we can accomplish that we’re doing fine.”
The Obertones proudly represented Oberlin in the Midwest regional quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate a cappella (ICCA). The competition, which took place at Penn State University, was the first ICCA event in which the Obertones participated.

As a group, the Obertones earned the ranking of second place. In addition, two of the Obertones’ singers were honored: Jason Goss won “Runner-Up, Best Soloist” for his rendition of the classic, “Crazy Love,” and double-degree junior Jacob Adams and double-degree sophomore Ben Shirley-Quirk won “Best Arrangement” for their arrangement of Radiohead’s “Exit Music (for a film).” The Obertones will now progress to the ICCA semifinal round at the University of Illinois this Saturday.

The group members are now busy fundraising for their ICCA semifinal round trip to the University of Illinois in March.