A capella groups to perform

After years of singing at IU, eight former members of Straight No Chaser and Another Round are keeping the dream alive.

The a cappella group Gentleman’s Rule, along with vocal group Under the Streetlamp, will perform at 8 p.m. today in the IU Auditorium for the first time. The performance is the inaugural show of a 50-city concert tour that will take the two groups around the country.

Brent Mann, a member of Gentleman’s Rule, said the entire group is looking forward to the performance at IU.

“It’s obviously our home away from home,” Mann said.

Last week, the group sang in front of the auditorium, providing passers-by with a preview of what will come tonight.

Mann said the group spent time singing with Another Round, who acted as their liaisons on campus.

“It’s so fitting that Gentleman’s Rule is kicking off this tour in Bloomington, especially at the auditorium,” he said.

Will Lockhart, another member, agreed IU is a home for the group.

“We all went to IU,” Lockhart said. “We met because we were all, at some time, a part of Straight No Chaser.”

Lockhart acknowledged that some members were part of Another Round after the name change, though most were in it before then.

“I’ve had about six or seven years performing with the core of these guys,” Mann said, saying that he had previously sung with about six of the members. “They’re all my college buddies.”

One year after Lockhart graduated, Gentleman’s Rule was created.

The group auditioned for NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” but after they didn’t make the show, they thought they would be parting ways for good.

They were wrong.

Lockhart said they reassembled about a month later and got back to work.

Last fall, Gentleman’s Rule shot its first PBS special, which featured several songs that will be performed tonight.

The group sings a variety of music from artists such as Bill Withers, Justin Timberlake, Gavin DeGraw and One Republic.

The Straight No Chaser fan base from the original 1996 group gravitated toward Gentleman’s Rule, Lockhart said, but its fans are also a lot of younger people who have found something they love in the group’s sound.

“A cappella as a genre has really grown in the past few years,” he said. “I think we make it a point to do what’s relevant.”

Lockhart said they have music for everybody’s taste, and though one can’t exactly play it at a rave party, there is definitely something great about what they do.

“What is cool about our group is that all eight of us sing solo,” Lockhart said. “You’re gonna hear all types of sound.”

This variety, coupled with beatboxing rhythms and smooth ballads, are part of what brings in a wide range of audience members, Lockhart said.

Mann said the group’s sound always changes because each member has a distinct solo voice.

Lockhart said the group stays true to the song, but at the same time puts its own spin on it. The arrangements the group does match the singers’ voices very well, Lockhart said.

People have a certain expectation of what they will see in the group, but he said it often breaks that expectation and provides the audience with something completely different.

Gentleman’s Rule is touring with Under the Streetlamp, a group compiled of leads from the Broadway musical, “Jersey Boys.”

“Under the Streetlamp will come on, and with a huge band,” Lockhart said.

Both Lockhart and Mann addressed the complexities of a cappella music and the bond that is required to make it great.

“With a cappella, there’s definitely very little room for error,” Lockhart said.

But because the group has known each other for years, they know how to work together, he said.

“There is definitely a brotherhood aspect to our group,” Lockhart said. “We’re a team.”

Mann also said the group benefits from seeing the audience, and admits that at times it feels like the group is the one watching a performance as listeners get lost in the music.

“When we’re up here, it’s very natural,” Mann said. “It’s very organic.”

Lockhart encouraged people to attend even, if they are unfamiliar with the group.

“I promise you you’re going to have a fun time and see something you like,” he said.