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Vocalocity closes out summer concert season for Nibley

September 12th, 2009 Posted in Arts and Life

By Benjamin Wood

NIBLEY — Singing group Vocalocity serenaded citizens while the sun set on Labor Day weekend. The performance at Nibley City Park was a gamble, recreation director Casey Judd said, but the crowd of just under 100 didn’t seem to want the night to stop, encouraging the a cappella group to perform three encores after their set had ended.

The singers, Jason and Jake Tesch, Branden McKnight, Ryan Brierly and James Case, sang a variety of styles, from Les Miserables to The Beach Boys, and encouraged the audience to let loose.

Fans enjoy Vocalocity's performance at a concert in Nibley.

Fans enjoy Vocalocity's performance at a concert in Nibley.

“There’s three rules,” Jason Tesch explained, “if you feel like dancing, get up and dance, if you feel like throwing money, we accept credit cards and cash and if you know the songs, sing along.”

The performers met while attending college, Brierly said, and live in various parts of northern Utah. A good portion of the crowd was present to support Case, who lives in nearby Hyrum.

“Half of the audience is my family,” Case said.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, James’s family, we are Vocalocity,” Jason Tesch said, opening the show.

Vocalocity performed in Nibley last year, Mayor Gerald Knight said. They were invited back as part of an effort to increase city activities in the summer.

Judd said Saturday’s concert marked the end of the summer season. The city park has been host to a number of concerts and movies aimed at bringing the community together.

“We decided last year to do some more things over the summer,” Judd said.

Among the movies shown this summer were Madagascar 2 and Journey to the Center of the Earth, shown in 3D with viewing glasses provided by the city.

“Nibley is growing so fast, it’s just a great community, a lot of young families with kids.”

Families made up the bulk of the night’s attendance; children played in the nearby playground, and members of the Nibley Youth Council sold refreshments. Throughout the act, Vocalocity looked for ways to engage the multi-generational viewers. Brierly, the band’s vocal percussionist, showcased his unique talent with a medley of Star Wars character impressions.

“Beatbox, I will,” Brierly said in a Yoda-esque gruff.

Halfway through the night, Jake Tesch pulled his wife on stage for a dance while the rest of the band sang a country number.

“That’s how we met,” Tesch said. “It was a 4th of July show, I got her number after and now we’re going to have a baby in January.”

The group sang until well after sunset. Judd placed construction lights on the stage for the last songs of the set. After singing their second encore, Vocalocity addressed the still-cheering crowd. “We’ve kind of run out of songs,” Case said. The band then finished the night with a Christmas song.

While the summer activities are over, Judd said the city is planning events for the coming fall and winter months. A pumpkin-carving competition is in the works, as well as a nativity program for Christmas time.

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