A cappella star courts record deal

The male version of pop singer Tori Amos may be wandering around the University campus, according to Ruff House Records spokesperson Glenn Manko. College senior Gabriel Rutman, the musical director of the a cappella group Off The Beat, is a "stand out" talent, Manko said. And with a little luck and a lot of effort, Rutman's face may be the next thing to grace the cover of Spin magazine. "Not since the Penn basketball team was number five in the nation have I seen talent like this at Penn," Manko said. Manko first spotted Rutman's ability when he saw him perform an original song at this spring's Off The Beat performance. "I walked into Penn thinking 'this [show] is going to be so boring,' and I was absolutely blown away," Manko said. The manager of several Philadelphia-based groups, Manko said he decided he wanted to represent Rutman after watching him perform. They are currently "shopping" for a record company interested in producing Rutman's work, he added. Also helping Rutman further his musical career is Jiff Hinger, the producer of the top-charted group Boyz II Men. Hinger aided Rutman in creating a "demo tape" which Manko will market to record companies. "I think that if Gabe stays true to himself as an artist we can make him the male equivalent to Tori Amos," Manko said. "I'm putting a lot of my professional time into this." Despite Manko's enthusiasm, Rutman said he is unsure that Manko's interest in him means that he will definitely get signed to a record label. "It's physically possible but still unlikely," Rutman said. "But hopefully something will happen." Although Rutman, a musical composition major, is holding off plans for graduate school for the next few years because of his recent discovery, he said he is considering writing music for television commercials to support himself -- unless Polygram Records comes knocking on his door. "Every kid who's a musician has this dream of being popular and of writing songs for a living," he said. "But it's a little more than a dream [for me]." Rutman also said he plans to perform in clubs in New York and Philadelphia to increase his popularity. "I want to perform in places like the Tin Angel downtown -- real folky music clubs," he said. Manko said Rutman has a quality about him of "genuineness" which makes him a stand-out. "He just seems like a really sweet person," Manko said. "His music is absolutely passionate." And what is the inspiration behind these tumultuous tunes? "Chicks," said Rutman. "I write about chicks, because that's what I know about now."

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