Former MHS grad thrives in a cappella group
Sports reporter
If you listen closely, you still won't hear it.
If you listen even harder, it won't matter.
The only thing that can be heard when "Six Appeal" takes the stage is the harmony of seven smooth voices from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
No drums.
No guitar.
And definitely no synthesizers.
One of those voices from the a cappella group "Six Appeal" is Michael Brookens, a 2006 Marion High School graduate, and current music major at Concordia.
The group, which originally had six members, consists of seven Concordia sophomores whose voices flow on stage like a fine wine.
How it began
Brookens, who was involved in the choir, band, jazz band, MHS Singers, and musicals while in high school, said the group kind of formed out of nowhere.
"We were in choir and a few guys just started humming," he said. "We realized we sounded good together."
The song was "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego," by Rocapella.
Shortly thereafter the group formed, consisting of three freshman and three seniors.
After the year ended the seniors moved on, but the group added three more would-be sophomores.
Since then, one more has joined. Seven Appeal didn't have the same ring as six, so the name stayed.
Balancing act
One of the first big performances for the group was a freshman talent show at Concordia.
After participating in that, the group has performed at small venues on campus, including opening for professional a cappella groups that tour college campuses.
One of those groups, "The Fault Line," has appeared on "Star Search," and "America's Got Talent."
Brookens said it was possible Six Appeal would try something like a reality TV show, but not anytime soon.
"We're pretty big on school," Brookens said. "If someone got the harebrained idea to go for it, we might, but it would have to be in the summer or after school."
Plus, it might be hard for Brookens to find the time.
In addition to his school work, classes, and "Six Appeal," the 2005 MHS leading tackler on the football team, also has formed another group that focuses on classical music, is in choir and vocal jazz, and plays on the school's rugby team.
"It's fun, but it can get pretty stressful, especially near finals time," Brookens said. "We know how far to push each other."
Managing it all
Brookens and group member Jordan Roll are in charge of composing and arranging the music, while Roll takes care of the recording aspect.
But while some of the members have roles, there is no lead singer.
"We try to keep everything democratic," Brookens said. "We look for songs that really can accentuate the group and a person in mind to take the lead on a song. We usually pass the vocals around."
Brookens is the lead vocal on one of two songs the group has uploaded to the web site youtube.com.
Type in "Six Appeal" on the site and you will find "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5, and "No Woman, No Cry," by Bob Marley.
Brookens can be heard channeling his inner Marley as the lead singer, and mixed with the others as they cover Maroon 5.
"We want to have an entire CD recorded, cut, and distributed," he said.
But for now the group, who has covered Michael Buble, Rascal Flatts, U2, Sublime, and Sister Hazel among others, is settling for youtube and a demo CD with four songs.
While Brookens identified the music the group sings as "well-rounded," he used to think classical was what he would end up singing.
"If I end up in some other kind of music, that's OK," he said. "I know I will eventually go into teaching."
For now though, he can call himself a "well-rounded" entertainer.
For a copy of "Six Appeal's," demo CD, contact the group on Facebook.com under "Six Appeal," or e-mail Brookens at mrbrooke@cord.edu.
