'Snappy' Off the Beat performs new songs

Tonight, Off the Beat, one of the University's co-ed a cappella groups, will begin a three-night performance featuring a new repertoire of music. College junior Gabriel Rutman, Off the Beat's music director, will guide the 11-member group with only a pitchpipe and his snapping fingers. Like other a cappella groups, Off The Beat not only sings, but acts as an entire orchestra as well. But they place special emphasis on their orchestrations. Through their voices, they perform percussion, bass, and other backup sounds. "We are the music," Rutman said. "We sound like the songs." This year, Off the Beat will be performing 12 new songs. In the past, the group has entwined some of its previous numbers with new ones. This year, however, the six men and five women decided to do something different. "The dream of doing all new songs has come to a reality," College and Wharton senior Larry Linietsky explained. The group will perform songs by a variety of current artists, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kate Bush, Stone Temple Pilots and 10,000 Maniacs. "Most of the songs are progressive MTVesque," said College junior Cres Pellecchia, president of Off the Beat. "We do songs that are on the radio, Rutman added. "That's different from the other Penn groups." Off the Beat will also sing and dance to "Time Warp," a popular number from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The small, cohesive group works together in multi-part harmonies, to create "very unusual arrangements," College sophomore Pam Beecroft said. "The music is entirely more complicated than ever before," Linietsky said. The group will be sharing the stage with various other performing arts groups during its Thursday through Saturday run. South Asia Society Dance and Without a Net will perform in tonight's show. Tufts' Amalgamates and Without a Net will work the crowd tomorrow night. Saturday night's show will feature Brown Derbies and Smith's Smithereens. The three shows will be held at 8:30 p.m. in the University Museum's Rainey Auditorium. Although Friday's and Saturday's shows are sold out, the group will sell tickets today on Locust Walk for tonight's show. Standing room only tickets will be sold at the door during the weekend shows.