A capella group Eclipse to perform at Utah State Friday
Utah State University will have the opportunity to hear a one-of-a-kind concert Friday. The musical group Eclipse will be performing their first release concert.
Eclipse is a unique group that makes music using only one instrument – its members’ voices. They sing without instrumental accompaniment.
There are five members of Eclipse. Paul Hansen sings first tenor while Patrick Rose sings second tenor. Kevin Jones, who also plays percussion, sings tenor as well. Dan Katchner, Shayne Taylor and Kirk Mechan all sing baritone.
The band members met at Utah State University while performing with the Sunburst Singers and the Glenn Miller Show. In January of 2000, they decided they wanted to do something on their own and arrange their own songs, so they formed the group Eclipse.
There are many stories about how the group came to be known as Eclipse, one of which came from Jones. The members were having trouble picking a name, Jones said. One day he and Taylor were driving and saw the name Eclipse on a car, he said. Thus, their name.
In the short time the singers have been together, they have accomplished a lot, Taylor said.
“We started out anywhere,” Taylor said. “We began doing openings for groups like Colors, Peter Breinholt, John Schmidt. We’ve now done opening acts for Train, Brookes & Dunn, and Nelly Furtado.
“This has given us the chance to make contacts and have more opportunities,” he said.
Perhaps the most recognized thing Eclipse has done is performed in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Winter 2002 Olympics. Kenny Ortega, the director of the ceremonies liked their audition for the Opening Ceremonies, so they were asked to perform in the Closing as well, Taylor said. Ortega has directed several recognizable pieces, such as the movies “Dirty Dancing” and “Newsies” and the television show “Ally McBeal.”
In the Opening Ceremonies, the five were dressed as western pioneers and stood around a campfire singing, “Hard Times Come Again No More.”
Eclipse has also performed in other countries, including a tour in Thailand. In addition, the group participated in the Northwest Regional Harmony Sweepstakes Competition and made it to nationals.
“We were featured with eight other a cappella groups from around the nation,” Hansen said.
Eclipse released its first CD in April of 2001, which was entitled “Think Twice.”
Friday’s concert is sponsored by the Student Activities Board, the Latter Day Saint Student Association and VFX 94.5 and is the first opportunity to buy the group’s new CD, “Think Twice,” before it comes out in stores.
“‘Once’ was a learning experience,” Taylor said. “We defined our group sound, and now we want to take it to the next level.”
Out of the 11 songs on the CD, seven are written and arranged by the group members themselves. The CD includes “Ashes,” a Colors cover song; “Maria,” originally by Peter Breinholt; “Owner of a Lonely Heart;” “Yes,” an ’80s classic and “Hard Times Come Again No More,” the full version of their Olympics Opening Ceremonies number.
“We’re really excited about how it sounds,” Taylor said. “It’s different from the first CD, but in a good way.”
Eclipse enjoys performing at USU, Taylor said, although he is the only member still attending school here.
“We met in the Sunburst Singers, and we really owe a debt of gratitude to Dereck Furch, the director of the department of Programs and Entertainment,” he said. “There are many who helped us get where we are. The experiences and what we learned made it possible for us to make it this far.”
Hansen and Rose are managing the business side of the group right now, but are shopping around for a managing company.
“In order to be successful, you have to figure out the business side of things,” Taylor said. “Through music and art, you are creating a product. Success is as much based on talent and quality as getting that talent out and finding the right people.
“We’ve reached a point; we’ve built up a name. We’d all love to be able to do it full out,” he said. “We’re trying to make more contacts. It’ll be interesting to see what happens this year.
“It takes hard work, patience, smart decisions and determination to succeed,” he said.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Kent Concert Hall. Tickets are $5 at the Taggart Student Center Ticket Office.