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Haven't found
what you're looking for?
Email director Ed Vettel !
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| What are the lyrics to "I Love Illinois?" |
Good question! First for some history -- they were written some years ago by Xchord Adam Rettberg. In more recent history, Alex Howe wrote a rap interlude which is included in our most newest studio rendition of the song.
I Love Illinois Lyrics
Now we all love our university
There's nothing but corn as far as the eye can see
We love that echo spot and the good ol' morrow plots
Just one school that's good enough for me
And it's time to give some R-E-S-P-E-C-T
refrain:
I love Illinois, it's the greatest school in the country, baby
I love Illinois, so come and hang around the corn with me
Now hail the orange and hail to the blue
Hail alma mater ever so true
Wisconsin's got no class, and Indiana can kiss my YEAHHH...
Just one school that's good enough for me
And we don't need no pointless scenery
refrain
Rap:
I said S-D-R-O-H-C-X
Yeah, that's how it's spelled backwards, and here's what's comin' next
Illinois it is the place to be,
Even though when you look around there ain't nothin' much to see
There ain't no fjords or gourds, but Xtension Chords
Those guys who sing to you all day long and leave you wantin' more
But it was orange and blue from the start,
I don't have to tell you that those colors are true in my heart
Now here is just an aside,
This guy is bustin' with Illini pride
And we're not floating down the Susquehanna,
We're just some guys from Champaign-Urbana!!
I-L-L! I-N-I!
In football here's the switch,
We'll make Michigan our... (victims of friendly competition)
Just one school that's good enough for me
Right here in the middle of Xtension Chord country
Refrain
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| | Who are you guys, and what do you do?
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We are the Xtension Chords, an all-male a cappella group from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. We sing songs, occassionally try to dance, but most importantly put on a performance and have a great time; both for us and our audience members.
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| | What is this "A cappella music" that you describe? |
A Cappella is latin for "without cappella."
...in truth, "a capella" means "in your hair", "a cappello" means "in your hat", and "A Capella" is an astronomical reference to the first planet circling the star Capella in the constellation Auriga.
But for our purposes, a cappella music is singing with no instruments whatsoever except the voice. Everything you hear us do is done with our bodies (mostly involving the throat and mouth).
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| | How long have you guys been around? |
We were founded in 1990 by a fine grad student named Ken Purchase. He made an annoucement during a Men's Glee Club rehearsal and some students joined
him after rehearsal to sing. The rest is history...
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| | I want to join! How about auditions? |
Great! We'd love to hear you sing. Auditions take place at the beginning of every new school year. Within the first couple days of being back on campus, there will surely be a buzz, hum, or some other sort of onomatopoetic word concerning when and where auditions will be. If all else fails, the website will certainly have the information.
When you come for your audition, be prepared to sing a song by yourself, without accompaniment, i.e. a cappella. A common misconception is that when we say "sing a song a cappella," we mean "sing an a cappella song." This usually results in 40+ renditions of "That Lonesome Road," "For The Longest Time," or "Enormous Penis." A piece of advice: don't sing those songs. Sing something that shows off your voice and ability in the solo sense, but be creative. We want to see what you can do, but also who you are.
As can be told by a look through our repertoire page, our style is in our show. We do songs that people know, love, and like to hear. We also do choreography on numbers to enhance our performance. Look to sing something along the lines of pop and you'll be on the right track.
You may be asked to do some blending exercises with the group, and be prepared to try sightreading as well. Callbacks will include more singing and blending with the group.
In any case, try out! It's the only way to really know what the X is all about...
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| | What is that smell?
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Whomever smelt it must surely have dealt it, my friend.
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| | Who does your arrangements? |
We do! Whenever we decide to perform a song, a member of the group listens to it, and arranges the music he hears in the original song and translates it to voices. This allows us to not only do covers of fun songs, but throw a little bit of our own creativity into every song we perform.
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| | I'm in an a cappella group, or I'm thinking about starting one. Can I bum some of those aforementioned cRaZy arrangements? |
Sure! Some groups out there do not like to share their arrangements, however if you want to sing some of ours, that's awesome! We charge $10 per each arrangement in pdf file, what a steal! Be sure to scroll down our list of past arrangements that are currently available to you on the scroll below. Then below it type in "1" for each arrangement that you select. Then hit enter and it proceeds to checkout! Its that simple!
| | Do you guys have a mailing list I can sign up for? |
Why, yes! Find out about upcoming Xtension Chord concerts, CD status, and other events via e-mail! If you are interested in signing up for the Xchord mailing list, please contact Eric and he'll put you on the list!
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| | You guys rock! But I live in a far far away land. Is there any chance that I will ever be able to see you?
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First of all, thanks! Second, you may very well be able to see us. We do quite a bit of traveling, however, most of it is in the midwestern region. We often do tours of high schools in the Chicago and St. Louis areas, surrounding colleges, and every Spring Break we go on a massive road trip. All of us pile into a 15 passenger van and drive for a long time, usually to the east coast, so check out our schedule for updates on performances in your area.
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| | Is there anything I can do to show some love for you guys? |
Oh stop, I'm blushing! Well, aside from attending our shows, you can also become a part of the Xtension Chords' Street Team! We sometimes need help with advertising, chalking the quad, and any other means of spreading the word of our group and our shows. You'll receive many benefits, like you get to hang out with us a lot!
You can also order shirts that look just like ours with your name on it. If you're interested, send an email to Eric Salm.
Or, on a much simpler yet instantly gratifying scale, you can just sign the guestbook
! It's always nice to read something new and it makes everyone involved feel oh so good.
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| | Can I Hire the Xtension Chords! to sing for my thing which I need singers to sing songs for? |
Of course you can! Simply send an email to Jim McGuire or send an email to xchords@gmail.com.
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What are the lyrics to "I Love Illinois?"
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