A capacity crowd attended the first concert presented by Home Free A Cappella last Friday evening at the Simon Estes Auditorium. This was the opening concert of the 2009-2010 series presented by the Centerville Concert Association. Home Free is a male quartet with the added emphasis of a vocal percussionist. The members are all from the state of Minnesota and are currently on a 75 city tour.
Over the past several seasons, the Association has hosted several male a cappella quartets and this performance of Home Free topped them all in my mind. They sang a very wide variety of selections that ranged from a 50s and 60s tune like “Rockin’ Robin” to a sacred selection titled “I Live for You.” They loved making jokes and involved the audience. One audience participation segment was about identitying TV show themes. They also presented humorous sections titled; What We Are Thinking About While Singing and Songs That Didn’t Make the Cut.
Each member of the group was a soloist in his own right. The two tenors are Matt Atwood and Rob Lundquist and they both took turns singing lead on tunes like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “I’m Yours.” Chris Rupp is the baritone and is the arranger for most of the music they sing. Adam Rupp is the younger brother and is the vocal percussionist that make Home Free unique. I’m sure the audience was amazed after Adam’s percussion solo at how he made all the sounds with his mouth and tongue. The bass part is sung by the highly talented Troy Horne. I loved his rendition of “16 Tons” as well as the way he provided the bottom of the quartet sound. The audience really responded when the group did a barbershop arrangement of “Coney Island Babe,” but Home Free went to the next level by singing it in falsetto, giving the Sweet Adeline’s equal time.
The concert came to a close with a tune celebrating our freedom called “God Bless the USA.” Home Free has ended every concert with this selection since they made their debut in September of 2001 following 9/11. All the audience members had an opportunity to meet the artists following the concert. There are two concerts coming soon. Paul Asaro, a hot jazz pianist from Chicago, will be in Centerville Thursday, Nov. 12 and Tony DeSare, a singer/pianist from Atlantic City, will be in Ottumwa on Saturday, Nov. 14.
People
Concert season kicks off with stand out performance
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Mercy Medical Center honors employee service
The 44th annual Mercy Medical Center - Centerville employee awards banquet was held Tuesday, May 8 at Honey Creek Resort. Thirty one employees were recognized and honored for their years of service to the hospital.
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May, Long wedding
Rodney and Debbie May, of Greentop, Mo., are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Ashley to Jason Long, son of Gary and Marla Long of Centerville.
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Collection for two local food pantries underway now until July 31
The Appanoose County Farm Bureau is sponsoring a collection effort for local food pantries.
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Grassley receives Jobs Champion Award from the American Wind Energy Association
Sen. Chuck Grassley received a USA Wind Jobs Champion Award from the American Wind Energy Association.
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Phillips, Brown to wed in October
Jay and Linda Phillips, together with Mike and Lisa Brown, announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their children, Tiffany Nicole Phillips and Justin Kenneth Brown.
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McClurg 80th birthday card shower May 23
On May 23 Martha McClurg will celebrate her 80th birthday with a card shower. -
NHS students donate car wash proceeds to CAARE
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Planning under way for July 4
I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather we have been having lately. You can see as you travel around that the farmers are sure busy working in their fields, getting their crops in.
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May is National Osteoporosis Month
Osteoporosis is common, serious and costly — and can lead to an increased risk of bone fractures, typically in the wrist, hip and spine.
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Trolley to begin tours Friday
State Street Trolley will be starting its weekly Friday historic tours on May 18 at 1:30 p.m. from Big Red Realty and Insurance on the east side of the Historic Square District.
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Camp Appanoose welcomes new program coordinator
Rachel Nunnikhoven has joined Camp Appanoose as program coordinator.
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Strickler family honors loved one with memorial bench
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Blood drive to be held June 5
The need for blood donations from volunteer blood donors is continuous and on-going. While the need for blood remains about the same from month to month, the number of donations typically decreases during the summer months.
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Drake Library to hold ‘Harry Potter’ LEGO day Thursday
The public is invited to a special LEGO activity at the Drake Public Library Thursday, May 17 at 4 p.m.
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