A musical appeal

There's more to this all-male a cappella group than just singing.  

Orange Appeal's musical bond goes deeper than their hobby, which was showcased during their April Fools’ Invitational in the Schine Underground last Thursday.  The invitational also featured the women’s a cappella group, Main Squeeze.  

As soon as the doors opened before the 8 p.m. concert, Orange Appeal and Main Squeeze fans excitedly filed through the doors to watch the singers perform some of their favorite songs. 

But before the show, the men in Orange Appeal showed their character as they joked around, farted and shared some laughs before they got down to business onstage.

When asked what he likes most about the group, Orange Appeal's president Auyon Ghosh said, "The friendships I have made a long the way, as well as doing just what we do -- not for an audience, not for anybody but ourselves.”

Other members of the group echoed that sentiment. “We would perform in a sewer, if we had a rat watching us!” sophomore Davis Haines said with a laugh. Haines is a tenor for Orange Appeal and also does vocal percussion for the group, known as beat boxing.  

The men of Orange Appeal spend five hours together every week practicing for their performances. During their practices, the guys break down songs they like and transfer them into a cappella format, stripping out any musical instruments and substituting those sounds with their own vocals. 

Orange Appeal usually performs four to five songs per show, which range from spiritual hymns such as “Elijah Rock,” arranged by Moses Hogan, to throwback 90s jams like “Bills, Bills, Bills” by R&B group Destiny’s Child.

The music director of the group, Michael Kuhn, says he is often “the bad guy,” making sure everyone learns the music and choreography. Since no instruments are involved, the members of the group must rely heavily on each other to be in tune and stay on track.

Still, Orange Appeal's passion for the music and hard work clearly shine through during their performances.

“It’s performances like this, where we finally get to go on stage and we see all of our hard work pay off," Kuhn said. "That is what makes it all worth it.”