Arts & Entertainment

Unique and Large College A Cappella Group Arrives in L.A.

Singing group's business manager from Pacific Palisades is excited for upcoming performances at USC and Occidental College.

The Northwestern Undertones, an up-and-coming 20-member a cappella group from Northwestern University lands Wednesday in Los Angeles for a three-day tour, ready to belt out a mix of alternative/indie style music, as well as top 40 hits.

Its band manager Zoe Nadal, a Pacific Palisades native of 18 years, said she could not be more excited to come to sunny L.A. for the spring tour.

"It's such a treat to be able to share my hometown and my favorite LA spots with them," Nadal told Patch. "We have been counting down the days to this long-awaited tour and are so happy it is finally here."

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Completely lead by and comprised of undergraduates, Nadal said the Northwestern Undertones pride themselves on maintaining a high level of musicianship while also keeping the fun, silliness and love alive. They perform
three mainstage shows at Northwestern every year as well as many outside gigs.

In March 2013, they released their fourth studio album, and in the past have been selected for inclusion on multiple compilation albums, including “BOCA: Best of College A Cappella 2011” and “Voices Only 2009: The Best of Collegiate A Cappella”.

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The group tours nationally and internationally and has sung in places such as
Massachusetts, Texas, Washington D.C., St. Louis, Miami and Edinburgh, Scotland. This spring, they visited the Bay Area and L.A. as a fundraising tour to promote their new cd, “Rock, Paper, Shotgun."

Nadal noted that Undertones members recall the performances in Boston and Scotland as the most incredible off-campus experiences.

On Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m., The Undertones will perform alongside USC A Cappella groups The Troytones and Reverse Osmosis at the USC Campus in Downtown Los Angeles. VKC Arches, just across from the Alumni Park at USC. Admission is free, with donations accepted.

On Thursday March 28 at 7 p.m., The Undertones will perform in a joint concert with Occidental’s Cadence and Accidentals, as well as Standford’s Mixed Company at Samuelson Campus Pavillion/TigerCooler, Occidental College. Donations are accepted.

Nadal adds the group will be teaching workshops for students. The workshops usually include group-lead warmups and exercises, a vocal percussion clinic, teaching a portion of one of our arrangements and a question-and-answer with the group.

"The Undertones adore being able to share their music with young voices," Nadal said. "It gives us a thrill to have them sing with us."

She said this year, the size of the incoming class at the Evanston, IL campus of new Undertones was seven: the most they have ever taken at one time. Nadal added the advantage of having a group of this size is that they can tackle more challenging music, and the arrangements can be catered toward a larger, more fuller sound.

Check out The Undertones out at youtube.com/nuundertones.

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