1986 was a big year for rock music.
There was the first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Paul Simon released Graceland, and, here at Penn, then-College freshman Katie Goodman started an alternative-rock a cappella group, Off the Beat.
Twenty years later, OTB is preparing to honor its dedicated alumni at the 20th Anniversary Show, "5 Degrees Closer to Albino." In honor of this anniversary, OTB is also releasing a double-disk greatest-hits album, whose tracks were chosen by OTB alumni over the past eight months.
The group has planned "a whole weekend of festivities," said OTB president and College senior Jake Cooper.
"We have just under 50 alumni coming in for the weekend from all over the world," he added.
The six women and six men of OTB have been restlessly rehearsing for five hours a night this past week and six hours every week throughout the semester.
An entirely new repertoire of 12 songs is planned for tonight's concert. Some of the selections will be included on the group's 16th CD, which will be recorded this summer.
Cooper added that the group is always trying to "strike a balance" in terms of style and selection, although he noted the process tends to be "heavily reliant on the past."
College sophomore and OTB member Angelee Mantecon said that, "last year, . the songs that we did were very 'pop'-y, and, this year, we've done a lot less of that."
But it seems that the group's alternative rock selections really attract the fans.
"I love alternate rock and thought [OTB's] songs were always on the cutting edge of what was going to be the next big hit" said 2005 College alumnus Stu Halpern, who is coming to Penn this weekend specifically for the show.
"You can tell the group takes pride in their appearance and professionalism, which I really admire," he said.
Halpern used to assist the group with soliciting advertisements for their programs and often had OTB perform at his birthday parties.
"People see OTB on Napster, and then they come to Penn, and it's kind of like we're a household name in a cappella," Cooper said.
Fan support has made its way up to OTB leaders, who say it motivates the group's dedication.
Still, after two decades, the group seems to be overjoyed about performing.
The audience "can tell we're always having fun when we sing," Mantecon said.
Performances will take place tonight and tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium.
