With their clever renditions of popular songs and their evident camaraderie, The Buffalo Chips portray their talent through their a cappella sounds.
While not as drastic as the "He-Man Woman Haters Club" from The Little Rascals, the eleven-piece group is a male-only spectacle that plans to take the stage at Slee Hall Friday, Feb. 15 at 7:30pm.
The head "Chip" or music director is Mike Donohue, a sophomore engineering major, who teaches the songs to the rest of the members while choreographing their dance moves. Mike Jankowski, a sophomore computer science major, controls the group's public relations. Sophomore Briggon Snow, the Chips' assistant director, and sophomore Aaron Krolikowski, the group's treasurer, round out the biggest Chips in the pile.
The Chips are not only showcased around the Buffalo area, but all over the country as they often travel to attend competitions. Recently attending the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), the group placed first in the quarterfinals, moving them to the next step of the competition.
"The winning group does an encore performance. That was the coolest moment ever singing for The Buffalo Chips," said Snow.
The team's success is based on many rigorous practices, often occupying five to six hours per week. Their talent, motivation and brotherhood pave the way to their success.
Not only are The Buffalo Chips talented men, but they also consider themselves "each other's best friends," said Jankowski.
With numerous songs to memorize and different beats to adapt to, there is always a chance for error. But the members do not focus on their flaws or meaningless mistakes - they just brush them off and move on.
Donohue even admitted to forgetting lyrics a few times, but he just laughed and said, "Since we sing songs that so many people know, it always helps when filling in the lyrics."
The Buffalo Chips' main agenda is "focusing on getting their name out there and working on being performers," Jankowski said.
Their concerts are not a small affair, with around 200 to 500 seats sold at each show; The Chips are well on their way to making their name known. Keeping up with the tradition of singing Valentine's Day every year since 1996, they're hoping to sell out their V-Day concert.
The Chips' set list for this Friday is not focused on typical love songs for Valentine's Day; the group limited their selection to "one to two pieces and the rest are going to be Contemporary Rock," Donohue said.
Like every group of people, musical or not, they've had their share of wacky moments.
"We chased the governor, singing to him during his inaugural speech," Jankowski said.
The group's rounded out talent is one to be enjoyed by everyone. They are currently looking for talented new members; for the first time ever they're holding spring auditions.
Their ambition only scratches the surface of the success and growth of The Buffalo Chips. Not only are they captivating when performing live, the Chips have also recorded 12 albums. They expect to release their next album in November of this year.
For anyone interested in listening to familiar tunes in a laid-back environment, The Buffalo Chips Valentine's Day concert is something worth watching.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
