As the lights dimmed and On a Sensual Note, AU's all-male a cappella group, took the stage in Kay Spiritual Life Center Monday, the crowd cheered wildly. That is nothing new for the members of OASN, whose shows normally draw "a crowd that fills the seats and the area around seats with lots of overflow," according to Zia Hassan, the club's president and a senior in the Kogod School of Business.
The concert, the last one of the fall semester, began with a hilarious rendition of "Sexy Back," with solos by Hassan and David McNamara, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and contributing writer for The Eagle. The number got everything off to a very entertaining start, and the atmosphere of comedy and great music did not fade over the course of the night.
In between songs, the group performed short comedy sketches including satirizing the Mark Foley scandal, explaining how to buy a holiday gift for an OASN member, reenacting an OASN road trip, chronicling members' versions of the founding of OASN and showcasing the dancing talents of OASN members.
Many of the sketches included shameless, comedic plugs for the OASN CD that was released that night, entitled "New Ties, Old Guys." The CD, recorded last May, has a number of the songs that the men performed in the concert, including "Forget It" by Breaking Benjamin, "Roll to Me" by Del Amitri, "Kiss the Girl" from "The Little Mermaid," "Out of the Woods" by Nickel Creek, "King of Spain" by Moxy FrÂvous, "Tribute" by Tenacious D, "Just the Girl" by Click 5 and "Good Ol' A Capella" by Carter & Nevada.
Hassan said the greatest challenges in recording the album were "finding songs that worked cohesively and performing them that way," as well as discovering formations that produced the right sound to make "one natural piece of art."
Many of the alumni who were still part of the group when the album was recorded came back to AU for the concert. They took the stage with the group for "Good Ol' A Cappella," a perennial favorite.
"[The song] is a classic. With all the guys on stage, including the alumni, it reminds us of why we do what we do. [We] make a lot of great friends through it, and the song embodies what the group is all about," said Caleb Smith, OASN's business manager and a junior in the School of Public Affairs and CAS.
Class of 2006 alumnus Andrew Gordon said the show was "a reunion of sorts. We need events like this to remind us what we did [in OASN] and what we accomplished."
Hassan said the growing support of alumni made the group "very fraternal."
According to Smith, the OASN alumni have been great for the group, supporting the guys at shows and helping them create business contacts. Smith said that since many of the alumni still live in the D.C. area and are friends with many of the current group members, they do everything from giving advice to helping out at gigs.
This year the group has performed with other college a cappella groups in Virginia as well as for the Free Masons. Hassan said these experiences allowed OASN to network, meet other a cappella groups and incorporate what they learned into their future performances.
The spirit of brotherhood the members expressed was apparent throughout the concert.
"When I look back, it was a lot of fun," Gordon said. "And I hope the guys in the group now feel the same way."
Judging from the show, OASN is as tight-knit and fun-loving as ever.
