When I first arrived on campus my freshman year, the last thing I expected to be looking forward to twice a week was getting together with a bunch of dudes and singing. Yet, here I am, a proud member of St. Joe’s only all-male A Capella group, “54th & City”. After some time in the club, I’ve come to realize that there are a ton of dead giveaways that I, or any of the other members, are in fact part of the group.
Probably the easiest way to tell if you are in the group is how annoyed your roommates are with the sounds that you make with your mouth. I can’t count how many times my roommates have been trying to get some work done while I’m absent-mindedly practicing my beatboxing, only to receive a well-placed projectile to the head.
Another tell-tale sign is all the sideways glances you get from people walking by as you and your friends belt out whatever song is stuck in your head on the way to or from practice -recently it’s been Sia’s Alive. They’re totally not making fun of you, and they are definitely jealous of your angelic pipes.
It is glaringly obvious that you are a member of 54th if you deem every time someone else is singing or a song is playing the perfect opportunity for harmonization. Sure, you may look like a total show-off, but that major third sounded tight.
Finally, the best way to know that you are a part of 54th is that you have 11 other guys that are there for you, whether you’re going through a rough patch, or you just need to ask a girl out through the magic of song, a la Andy Bernard (results may vary). The comradery experienced through the group is unlike anything else on campus, and life doesn’t get much better than belting out a Styx medley on stage at The Perch to a bunch of parents and disinterested peers who are just there for the free pizza.
–Keith Banquer
