The acappella group House Jacks brought their talents to the Stem Concert Hall at the Ogle Center.

The House Jacks are a five-man band without instruments.

Acapella groups have been around for decades, but the House Jacks take barbershop singing to an entirely new level.

Their performance used vocalizations resembling muted trumpets, harmonicas, drums, violins and many more.

“It was one of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen here at IUS,” Shirley Hendricks, a local resident, said. “The way they got the audience involved was my favorite part.”

The audience turned out to play a big part in the House Jacks routine as the entire second half of the show was devoted solely to taking requests.

This is where they separated themselves from other acappella groups with their ability to improvise close knit harmonies on songs they’ve never rehearsed.

The House Jacks improvised a song called, “I Don’t Care,” by Johnny Cash. This was the first audience request of the night.

Other audience selections included “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “House of the Rising Sun,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Mustang Sally” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

“They were amazing, and it was definitely worth the price of admission,” Ben Rush, a member of the audience, said. “I had never heard of them before tonight, but the shows here [at the Ogle Center] rarely disappoint.”

This appeared to be the overwhelming sentiment of the crowd as they left the Ogle Center with smiles on their faces.

Originally from San Francisco, the House Jacks formed in 1991.

They have since traveled the world and performed with musicians, such as Ray Charles, James Brown and the Neville Brothers.

The acappella group’s voices are also featured on the hit NBC television series “The Sing-Off” during the opening credits and before commercial breaks.

By EDWARD HEAVRIN

Staff

eheavrin@ius.edu