[SINGING]
>> We are continuing with Rochester in Focus and we hope you like spending your Sunday
morning with an Irish ballad sung by eight Rochester Institute of Technology students,
all a cappella.
Lots of brains in that group.
But also a lot of vocal talent.
That is Eight Beat Measure, an award-winning group that is getting recognized way beyond
the RIT campus.
This is Joe, a second-year chemistry major and the business manager for the group.
And DeShawn, a fourth-year electrical engineering technology major and the music director.
Shouldn't you be studying for finals?
[laughter]
>> We just heard you guys singing an Irish ballad.
What is your signature sound because we heard barbershop earlier?
>> We tend to do everything.
We have a permanent repertoire.
You heard Coney Island, which is one of our barbershop songs.
We sing a variety of songs.
We sing R&B and hip-hop on our albums.
We try to dip our hands into everything.
>> A lot of people have heard of the U of R’s Yellowjacket group because they made
it on to NBC.
But you guys are really surfacing now.
Let's show folks some pictures because this is impressive.
They are the 2017 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award winners for best
hip-hop/R&B album.
This is a promotional shot from the TedX Rochester event.
You performed there, last month.
Certainly you are well known around the RIT campus.
Talk about how this has added to your college experience.
>> Being a part of eight beat measure is probably the greatest thing I have done at RIT other
than education.
It is a band of brothers that really loves to make music together.
We love to be around each other.
We are always hanging around each other.
>> Let’s listen to a little bit more Eight Beat Measure.
[SINGING]
>> You take a song and really do something interesting with it.
>> As the music director, I am basically having to figure out who is doing the arrangements.
Am I going to be doing the arrangements?
I do a lot for our concerts.
We can also either outsource or pay for our arrangements.
We have alumni do arrangements and sometimes we have me do arrangements or anyone in the
group.
>> You have to figure out who is doing the beat boxes.
There is no musical background, just your voices.
It must be fun.
>> It is.
I always joke with the guys in the group that my mom's second job is promoting for our group
and posting on Facebook.
>> A wonderful stage mom.
Where do we go from here?
I know you have some concerts beyond this weekend.
>> We have a concert on Saturday, May 6, our annual spring concert in Panara Theater on
the RIT campus.
Tickets can be purchased at the door.
We are performing there along with a group from Fredonia.
>> An amazing vocal jazz group.
They blew us away, so we thought why not invite them?
>> That is on May 6.
We have linked up your website so everyone can check it out and find out more about Eight
Beat Measure.
This is what their album ‘Polarized’ looks like.
>> It is available on Spotify and iTunes and Google Play and also for purchase at all of
our concerts.
>> Thank you so much for joining us.