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A finger on the InPulse of a cappella

By Christine Kinney '08
June 13, 2007

A little over three years ago Marcus Hanson '03, Matt McDonald '03, Gabe Koxlien '04 and Mike Espinoza '01 came together to form what is now one of the hottest professional a cappella groups in the world. Born of St. Olaf's Limestones, a student a cappella band, the group has succeeded in taking their sound to the next level. When asked to describe the sound of the band McDonald, a native of Sydney, Australia, replied: "It's a pop feel infused with classic training and old school doo-wop."

That sound has caught on. The group has won numerous awards, including the spotlight showcases at both the National Association of Campus Activities and the Association for Promotion of College Activities conventions, placing them at the top of the college tour market. Their album Alone and Above was nominated in 2004 for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) for album of the year, and the single, "Obsession," was nominated for Best Original Song. The following year, Shed a Little Light was nominated for a CARA best holiday album. The group also won the 2004 Rocky Mountain Harmony Sweepstakes Competition, with awards for best soloist (McDonald) and best original song ("Obsession").

InPulse
InPulse members (l-r) Matt McDonald '03, Marcus Hanson '03, Gabe Koxlien '04 and Steve Howe.
Throughout all of it, InPulse has continued to push the boundaries of both a cappella and mainstream pop. Unlike most a cappella groups, the small four-member InPulse is led by a vocal percussionist. Since joining the group in the fall of 2006, following Espinoza's departure, Wisconsin native Steve Howe has provided the feet-tapping, heart-pumping rhythms unique to InPulse.

The former Oles admit it was hard breaking into the pop scene on a campus known for classic vocals. But people knew the St. Olaf reputation for musical excellence and soon bought into the project. With the help of Ole connections, InPulse now has major grants from leading organizations such as Target and the Minnesota Board of Education, as well as grants from several East Coast states.

A cappella outreach
One of the group's greatest accomplishments has been its continuous dedication to the InPulse Educational Outreach Program. Over the past few years the singers have brought their insight and musical expertise to high schools across the country to promote involvement in the arts. Hanson attests that most of the current InPulse members didn't know about a cappella opportunities until they came to St. Olaf. The Educational Outreach program provides students with an early glimpse at a cappella.

"Our goal is to teach high school students about what a cappella has to offer and what it has meant for us," Hanson says. "We've had between 15 and 20 a cappella groups get started from these workshops. It's very rewarding."

One success story involves former Wayzata High School student and current Ole Taylor Baggott '08. During a workshop hosted by Rebecca Hagestuen Wyffels '84, director of choirs at Wayzata High School, Baggott received his first taste of professional a cappella. At the time he already was involved in his own a cappella group, and he was eager to soak up all the knowledge InPulse had to offer. He used the workshop to meld his classic vocal training into a more mainstream sound. After the workshop Baggott kept in contact with the members of InPulse and when the band decided to take on an intern in the summer of 2006 he jumped at the opportunity.

McDonald couldn't say enough about his talent and improvement. "Taylor is a very talented, unique individual. He has improved so much since high school. We really weren't expecting his level of ability when we took him on last summer, but his vocal quality is at the top of the heap."

Like McDonald, Hanson and Koxlien, Baggott has honed his voice skills under the instruction of Associate Professor of Music Robert C. Smith '78, who receives high praise from the members of InPulse. Due to the success of last summer's internship, Baggott will return to InPulse this summer along with two new interns.

McDonald promises the three interns will get "a full taste of professional a cappella," including the business side. "They'll vocally rehearse and perform with us on tour, and we're even going to get into the studio to record a few tracks with them," he says.

In addition to working with aspiring Ole students, InPulse also has forged and maintained numerous important connections in the St. Olaf alumni community. During a recent alumni networking banquet, the group met Drew Gorton '94 founder of Gorton Studios, a website design firm. Soon afterwards Gorton designed and launched InPulse's hip new website, inpmusic.com.

"Every time we meet St. Olaf people, something great happens," McDonald says.

So what's in store for a group that already ranks among the top acts in the business? The group wants to continue to stretch the boundaries and audience of a cappella. The group would like to expand into the fine arts market with performances in venues such as Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. And, in addition to national tours, Hanson also has indicated the possibility of an international tour to Australia and Japan in the near future.

Wherever they perform, the popularity of InPulse suggests a promising future both for the group and the a cappella genre.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.