The beatboxing, harmony-stacked a capella group Eclipse was the featured artists at the 2005 Christmas Tree Lighting Program held in the Cannon ActivitiesCenter at BYU-Hawaii on Wednesday, November 30.
The annual program featured all the seasonal staples: world-class entertainment singing holiday favorites, goody bags for all keiki, lighting the big Christmas tree in the McKay (Little) Circle, and photos with Santa.
This year's entertainment, Eclipse, came from northern Utah and did what they do best—using driving rhythms and lush harmonies with only one instrument: voice.
"They are the best at what they do," said Jeremy Barron, coordinator of the Performance Series on campus. "They take vocal percussion to another level, and it sounds unbelievable—like real instruments. People were amazed at the different beats and sounds these guys can produce."
The six members of this all-male group originally met while performing at UtahState University in Logan. They began by arranging vocal covers, performing them on campus and in the Logan area.
After their first release, (Once in 2001), the band shifted its focus to gaining exposure and establishing credence. They won first place in the NorthwestRegionalHarmony Sweepstakes Competition qualifying them to advance to the NationalCompetition with the eight other regional winners from around the nation.
"This opened the door for us to become an opening act for some well-known Christian artists," said Dan Kartchner, an original member. These artists included Jon Schmidt, Peter Breinholt, and Kurt Bestor among others.
But Eclipse got their big break when they were asked by Kenny Ortega, CeremoniesDirector of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, to perform in theOpening Ceremonies. This led to other opportunities, including a featured spot in the Closing Ceremonies and the Medals Plaza events, where the band opened for such national acts as Brooks & Dunn, Nelly Furtado, and Train.
Since then, it has been a busy road for the guys who have released three albums in the last three years, including their Pearl Award-winning "Holiday Album of the Year," Three Kings (2003), which features many of the songs they showcased during their Christmas Tree Lighting performance.
"This is our first performance in Hawaii," said Kartchner. "It's an honor for us to be here especially during this time of year. This university is directly linked with the mission of the Savior, whose birth we will be praising and celebrating during this event."
The group also appeared in concert on Tuesday, November 29 at 7:30 p.m., performing contemporary hits from their other albums.