Back in August 2014 I attended one of UW-Madison’s many welcome week events, The Understudies Improv show. I happened to sit next to three random guys whom, after asking me if I knew how to sing, identified themselves as Mike Fuller, Vinnie Biskupic and David Grube, all singers in Fundamentally Sound. As a week-old freshman I was completely unaware of the tremendous support, love and following this group experiences. But over the course of this past year that has completely changed and I had no idea how much this a cappella group would be a part of my freshman year.
Since that weekend I discovered one of their newest members, Leland Raymond, lived just a few floors away from my dorm room. I watched them sell out Music Hall for their winter show, host the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Midwest Quarterfinals, come back after a successful weekend at their own ICCA competition, participate in the All Campus A Cappella Benefit Concert and finally conclude their year at the Orpheum Theatre for their spring show.
The seats quickly filled with friends and family ready for this highly anticipated show Saturday April 25. But Fundamentally Sound decided to open their concert with a band called Trap Saturn, which I really enjoyed. The alternative and trap electronic style completely blew everyone away. The group of five kicked off the show and put everyone at ease with their bright and spirited songs and I found myself grinning the entire time—my best comparisons to Trap Saturn would be a mix of alt-J and MisterWives. While the set lasted close to half an hour that was irrelevant because of the sheer talent they brought to the stage. Considering Trap Saturn is a relatively new band, and their members range from a college freshman to UW graduates (including FS alumni), I was extremely impressed with their entire performance.
After a brief intermission and quick set change, Fundamentally Sound was ready to take the stage. As I stated earlier, I have seen this group perform many times before so I was really interested to see what new songs they would perform. My jaw dropped as soon as they began their mashup of songs like, “Jessie’s Girl,” “Jump” and “Man In the Mirror.” I applaud Fundamentally Sound in that, right off the bat, they highlighted many members of the group and gave them solos. This year, six members of FS were graduating, so the time between each song was dedicated to saying farewell to each senior.
In my opinion, the three things that can make or break an a cappella group are the soloists, vocal percussionists and the arrangements. As usual, Peter Anderson, the lead vocal percussionist of the group, had his talents spotlighted in the middle of their show, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. He made the ground shake and I could feel the bass in my chest; Pete’s abilities are unfathomable. I think it’s amazing that, even though I have seen this group numerous times, I am always fascinated with his performance.
Lastly, my all time favorite part of the Fundamentally Sound spring show was the choreography weaved into each song. They decided to perform their ICCA set, a selection of songs that hold immense importance because it brings the alumni and current members together. They went out on a bang to conclude this school year, and as they stated in their performance, I believe Fundamentally Sound will always be the “fan-favorite.”
