What would you do if you looked out your peephole to find 15 men at your door? Well, according to the members of Rip_Chord you should open it, and they can almost guarantee you’d be glad you did.

As part of their unique fundraising effort, the men of Rip_Chord, Elon’s all-male a cappella group, traveled around campus delivering a cappella-grams on Oct. 22 and 23. These singing telegrams were sent to students living in Smith, Carolina, the Colonnades and residences near Sidetrack Grill.

“I sent one to my friends and it was amazing,” sophomore Chelsea Moir said. “We were just hanging out in my room and when the guys came in they were all so surprised.”

Students bought these vocal candy grams as a gift for a girlfriend or to surprise a friend when they least expected it. While the majority of recipients were caught off guard, everyone involved was completely entertained.

“I had no idea what was going on,” senior Andy Fox said, who received the a cappella-gram midway through his shift working at Sidetrack Grill. “I thought I was just seating a big group, then they just burst out into song.”

This fundraiser marked the beginning of a busy schedule for Rip_Chord. The group has only been together for one year and is working hard to let the Elon community know it is here to stay. In only two months, the group has performed at Midnight Meals, Take Back the Night and at various other events around Elon’s campus. These performances all lead up to the final fall performance in Whitley.

“The truth is I was incredibly surprised at how advanced their skill level is for a group that has really only been around for a year,” Rip_Chord adviser Lucas Langdon said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think the group has been going for years.”

Trying to convince Elon faculty members that there was a need for a third a cappella group on Elon’s campus proved difficult. Standing out against the competition was the group’s biggest challenge.

“What differentiates us from other a cappella groups on campus is that we’re definitely the most fun and entertaining act to watch,” Rip_Chord member junior John Planisek said. “Our energy and love for performing really comes across in our shows.”

In addition to its high energy on stage, Rip_Chord experiments with many different sounds from techno to country. The group’s repertoire even includes a tribute to the inventor of the meal plan uppercut in a spoof of the Bud Light Real Men of Genius commercials.

“We really hope that we’ll be able to continue the a cappella-grams in the future,” sophomore Rip_Chord member Josh Tate said. “We love entertaining people, no matter if it’s just surprising a few girls in their dorm or serenading people in a dining hall. We just have such a great time performing.”

Regardless of the unexpected downpour that left the group drenched running through campus, the night was a great success for Rip_Chord, and the men ended up raising nearly $200.

“It was definitely one of the most original fundraising ideas we’ve ever had,” Rip_Chord president, junior Philip Zakas said. “We weren’t too sure how people would react but it went so well we’re definitely going to do it again around Valentine’s Day.”

But if you just can’t wait until then to see the group perform, its fall concert will be Nov. 6 in Whitley.

Reporter: Lauren Kelly - 10/31/07