Although nobody quite knows what sQ! stands for - the true title is known only within the group - this a cappella ensemble is still a beloved performance group on the Tufts campus.
The secretive troop's first CD release in three years is set for tonight, just in time for sQ!'s annual spring show in Goddard Chapel. With this release, the group hopes to garner recognition through a CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording) nomination.
A relative newcomer on the a cappella scene - the group was founded in 1994 - sQ! has always had high hopes for its members, but takes a laidback approach to its musical agenda. The group was originally started as a "less intense" alternative to the other Tufts a cappella organizations.
So what exactly does a "less intense" approach entail? Essentially, sQ! strives to be open and relaxed in their performances and song choices by not confining themselves to a proscribed style. Junior Monica Gallagher says there is no "specific genre" of music that sQ! sings; instead they appeal to all different musical tastes.
sQ! Business Manager Andrew Chapman, a junior, believes that this is what sets the group apart from other a cappella ensembles.
"I would say [we are] a bunch of people who are very devoted. We are devoted to and absolutely love a cappella, but we also want to be able to do other things on the side," he said. "So they get to love a cappella and everything else that they love."
The group's second release was recorded in Jamaica Plains with John Clark, a Tufts alum and former Almalgamates member. The compilation is entitled "Overnight Delivery" and embraces the sQ! mantra with such diverse songs as Matchbox 20's "Bright Lights," Anastasia's "Out of Love," and "Don't Leave Home," by Dido.
The packaging of the CD is based around a post office theme, and all of the related artwork was created by a member of sQ!. Despite this well-defined motif, the mailroom theme does not necessarily reflect the chosen music, according to fresman Louise Place.
Don't think that it was just a random whim, either; Place says that "Overnight Delivery," comes from inside jokes that are as clandestine as the group's name.
There are twelve tracks total on the CD, which has been in production since the fall of 2003, with about three tracks being recorded each semester.
The continual contribution to the album over such a long period of time doesn't strike Gallagher, the music director for three of the tracks, as particularly "strange," but she says it is "weird" to hear people's voices from past years that she doesn't recognize.
"Overnight Delivery" is timed to coincide with sQ!'s spring show, an event that promises to be as memorable as the album itself.
The audience will be treated to an eclectic but entertaining show, two of the group's priorities. "We have a very unique style, I think we - I don't want to sound pretentious - I think we are very engaging to the audience, we really put that on high priority," said junior Andrew Chapman, the group's building manager. "[We are] looking for stuff that our audience is going to enjoy."
In true sQ! fashion, the group will feature a repertoire of blended musical styles, all under the overarching genre of familiar pop tunes. Concert attendees will hear sQ! lend their voices to "Breathe" by Michelle Branch, "Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla, and Fiona Apple's huge hit, "Criminal."
Gallagher says that the unifying thread underlying song choices was an effort to blend new cuts from "Overnight Delivery" with old favorites that will be "retired" after tonight's show.
The spring concert will be the last event in a highly successful year for sQ!. Between finishing their album and inducting a new member, the group traveled extensively all over the country. Winter break saw sQ! visiting an assortment of venues in the greater San Francisco area, while the fall was mostly devoted to local shows at neighboring Boston College and Medford-Somerville district high schools. Next year, sQ! hopes to continue its globetrotting in an effort to promote "Overnight Delivery" and gain recognition beyond the Tufts community.
Next year, sQ! will continue with its annual spring and fall shows and performances for Parents' Weekend and the Leonard Carmichael Society cancer fundraiser. Also, according to Chapman, the group has been invited to sing the national anthem at Fenway Park in the near future, though details are not yet available.
"Overnight Delivery" goes on sale today for $15 and purchases and pre-orders can be made from the group's Web site.
