\Madtown"" has never been known for adhering to conventional standards.
This pattern of rebelliousness is seen time and again.
Example one: Instead of choosing a mascot that embodied majestic ferocity, the local university chose a large rodent.
Example two: The holiday of choice is the anarchic Halloween, which is celebrated with a riot and the entire police department.
Example three: Redefined, the UW-Madison co-ed a capella group.
Wait a minute, a capella? Yes, A C-A-P-E-L-L-A-the musical style that is produced using solely voice and originated in medieval churches. Yes, it is a descendant of Gregorian chant, doo wop and barbershop. And yes, Redefined has successfully ""redefined"" this style of music once again.
The founding fathers of Redefined, UW-Madison graduates Nate Mendl and Andrew Jarvien, started the group in 2001. Their philosophy was simple: have fun and perform-with flair.
""Especially with the idea of naming the group Redefined, [our founders'] whole idea was to take a capella and change it a little bit and then pick something people already knew, and instead of singing it exactly how people knew, do it a little different,"" said UW-Madison junior and Redefined member, Maureen Ayers Lobby.
Different indeed. Over the past few years, the group has sung everything from The Beatles to No Doubt to the Nintendo theme song-which earned them a spot on collegehumor.com.
""The first time we did Nintendo ,people were like, 'What the heck?' but then it sort of became something that was Redefined,"" business manager Megan Gibbons said.
When the group picks new songs each semester, they do it with what Gibbons describes as a ""no-fear policy."" Brainstorming a list of songs group members want to sing, the group then chooses those the arrangers prepare for the entire choir. Arrangers are group members who take songs and break them down into separate parts for the sopranos, altos, tenors, basses and the vocal percussionist.
The co-ed group is something of a rarity in the collegiate a capella circuit, but Redefined did not think twice about redefining this norm because of all the possibilities it offers.
""I think getting to interact with the girls of the group is an advantage,"" UW-Madison junior Dan Bender said.
Indeed, being co-ed offers a number of advantages. The first is that having all voice ranges allows Redefined to achieve a fuller, richer sound. Because of this, the group is not restricted the way all-male and all-female groups are when it comes to song selection.
""With a co-ed choir, there is a wider variety of music and range of notes-in terms of high and low. With guys, they can't go really high, with girls, they can't go really low,"" said Paul Rowe, UW-Madison associate professor of music, with an emphasis on voice. ""[A co-ed choir] just opens it up. You can do some things that are all-men and some things all-women, too. There is a larger variety.""
It is also worth mentioning the social aspects the members enjoy-namely, the girls get to avoid the cattiness which they said is an inevitable part of an all-female group. Males get to bypass the sausage-fest and interact with talented females who share their same interests. Members regard each other as family members more than peers or coworkers.
""I think we have a really great social dynamic,"" said UW-Madison sophomore and member, Rachel Shields. ""We all really like each other, and we've come together to share out musical talents.""
In the past four years, Redefined created quite a reputation for themselves. Their fans come from all over: Japan, Germany, France and fraternity row in Madison. In fact, their frat fan club has even taken to pre-gaming while listening to the Redefined CD (they also have choreographed dance moves).
Redefined is an official UW-Madison student organization and is entirely self-funded. A feat which is achieved through sales of its CD, Vooboo (available for purchase online at a-capella.com) and by performing at corporate functions. Redefined also performs on campus at different times throughout the semester. Their next performance takes place this Friday, Sept. 23 at the Wisconsin Union Theater. They will open for Rockapella, the professional a capella group.
Today Mendl and Jarvien would be proud. Their idea keeps on evolving as old members graduate and new ones join-but never they forget their roots as a performing group.
""I think that the founder's ideals have almost been accentuated. ... The dynamic that we're able to achieve with this particular group is something that we have worked long and hard for,"" Gibbons said.
