No Strings Attached, a new organization at the University that will be holding their breakout concert Monday is true to their name – there are no instrumentalists involved in the a capella group.
Originally, No Strings Attached was billed as an all-male group, called “Subject To Change,” but then decided to open the group to female vocalists.
Aaron Shaw, a senior majoring in biology and psychology and president of No Strings Attached, said the addition of female singers benefited the a cappella group.
“Because of the hurricane, Get On Board Day and auditions were delayed, and we didn’t quite get the turn out we wanted to,” Shaw said. “The music director at the time had the idea that we should add women to the group, and I thought it was a great idea, and then we became No Strings Attached.”
Subject To Change decided to change their name to No Strings Attached as a play on words, signifying that the group no longer has any limitations on who is allowed to join, as well as referencing the absence of any instrumental accompaniment in their performances.
(See also “A cappella concert subject to entertain”)
At first, the members of No Strings Attached were not close following the addition of new members, but Allyson Azar, a vocalist in the group and a sophomore majoring in theatre, said they now have become nothing less than a family.
“For a while it was just kind of separated, just because we were still trying to get to know each other,” she said. “But actually, once we started taking pictures for our fliers and began trying to give the group a face, that’s when we started to really get to know each other.”
Just as with its membership, No Strings Attached does not have any limitations with the types of songs they sing. The group covers a wide variety of genres that range from pop music to classic Disney songs.
“We sing absolutely anything basically,” Shaw said. “Right now, we do some more choral, classical songs but also a lot of pop and classic rock, even some country.”
No Strings Attached has created a home for its members. Serving as an escape for the vocalists from their daily lives, the group helps the members feel like individuals at the University, opposed to being just another face in a crowd of students.
Nicky Bolus, a member of No Strings Attached and a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said the group serves as a place where he can express himself.
“I did a cappella and choirs all throughout middle school and high school,” Bolus said. “I really wanted to continue that in college and find a creative outlet to just express myself and get out of the prison of numbers that is the College of Engineering. I don’t mean anything bad. I love engineering. I just needed some source of relief from that.”
Jessie Echeverria, a vocalist in the group and sophomore majoring in vocal performance, said the concert will be fun and enjoyable for the audience.
“The audience can expect humor. We have some hilarious things planned,” Echeverria said. “They can expect a lot of just cool music. Our concert showcases not just us doing group songs together, but there’s a lot of variety where everyone does their own thing. It’s going to be really cool.”
No Strings Attached will be holding a concert Monday, Feb. 11, in the Moody Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free to all that attend.
Leading in today’s Crimson White:
