Seniors Jake Parsky, Oliver Ades, Mikal Nathani and Tobin Bell joined forces last June to start the new all-male a cappella group: “Solid and Sound.”

After choir director Jeff Davidson decided to terminate the octet groups, Whitman a cappella groups rose to fill the musical void.

Sophomore Sebi Sola-Sole was one of the many disappointed singers looking for a musical outlet.

“Last year I decided I really wanted to join the octets,” Sola-Sole said. “After they were disbanded there was a lot of talk of another all-male a cappella group to contrast the girls’ group.”

And thus “Solid and Sound” was born.  After tryouts last June, the group formed to include 12 members—10 seniors and two sophomores.

“At first I was a little bit intimidated by everyone’s extremely advanced knowledge of music,” Sola-Sole said. “But I am really learning a lot and they help me through every step. I love the music we are doing and the whole group dynamic.”

Due to the early stages of the group, co-founder Jake Parsky said they are primarily using pre-arranged songs.

“As we start to progress as a group, we’ll start to incorporate some of our own stuff,” Parsky said.

All four seniors come from different musical backgrounds and Parsky, who is also involved in drumline, pit orchestra, men’s choir and chamber choir, said that it has only been to their benefit in creating a unique sound.

“We all have different musical interests and we’re trying to combine them,” Parsky said. “We want to create a mix of genres in our group.”

Because the octet groups are no longer in existence, the a cappella groups will be taking their place at school events like the choral booster dinner and winter concert.

So if you walk down the halls in the barren after-school hours and hear the faint sound of barbershop harmonies to “Uptown Girl,” “Solid and Sound” can’t be too far away.