First concert of 65th BCA season set for Sunday
“If you enjoy male a cappella groups, and you’ve probably heard several, you will find yourself breathless when hear Home Free on Sunday at Backus.”
So says Paul Folin of the Allied Concert Association, the recruiter and booking agent for the local Border Concert Association.
Opening the BCA’s 65th concert season, Home Free will perform at 7:30 p.m. on the stage at Backus Community Center Sunday. Concert goers are going to remember this show, Folin told the BCA Board of Directors at a recent meeting, and he added that young people who may have never been members will not want to miss this performance.
The BCA Board of Directors decided this year to lower the student cost of seasonal membership, reducing it to just $10 for the entire series of five concerts. The board hopes that the low cost of $2 a performance will encourage young music lovers to join the BCA.
Like other a cappella groups, the singers of Home Free produce their sound and percussive effects without instrumental accompaniment — just their human voices and microphones. “But Home Free is carving new ground, expanding their audiences’ horizons, and introducing its own unique flavor to the musical world,” says Allied.
The genre of music for these five performers is an expansive mix of pop, classical and techno. They each have extensive theatrical and musical training.
“However, their music is put to the explosive beats of one of the most exciting vocal percussionists in the a cappella scene,” adds the performance recruiters.
The percussionist’s name is Adam Rupp and in addition to supplying the rhythms for Home Free, he will also be featured at the concert with a vocal percussion solo.
Vocalists in the group are Chris Rupp, Chris Foss and Matt Atwood as well as one or two backup singers who join as needed. The group merges its own personal flavor and humor into the show.
A sample program includes such songs as “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Change the World,” “Dock of the Bay,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Blue Moon,” a Disney medley, a Beach Boys medley and others.
Home Free has performed for clientele ranging from the Minnesota Vikings to the Mall of America as well as at colleges, schools and various concert series. They also devote time to educating and encouraging music in the schools through innovative workshops.
BCA season memberships in U.S. funds will be available at the door and are $45 for adults, $10 for students, and $95 for a family. Canadian tickets are slightly higher.
The remaining concerts of the season include spiritual tenor Robert Robinson on Oct. 30; Circus INcognitus, a one-man acrobat show on March 7; Everything Fitz, a champion fiddling and step dancing group on March 21; and the Rastrelli Cello Quartet — virtuoso cellists who play all genres of music on the cello, on April 17. The concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at Backus auditorium.
Preceding the performance of Home Free, a Top the Tater supper for the public will be held by the Backus Community Center. Meals are $5 per person and are available from 4:30-7 p.m.
