- History -
History
In May of 1993, I felt that Cornell needed another male a cappella group. Having been unsuccessful in getting into the groups I auditioned for, and not finding a group whose personality that I liked, I decided to start my own group and fill the void that the other groups didn't. We needed a group whose purpose it was to not only making beautiful music, but that also loved to entertain, and to take a show to the next level. I thought that perhaps one day we would have live dinosaurs running around on stage in Cornell's largest auditorium, or Yoda giving entertaining thirteen hundred people. Not the slow, boring performances I had been used to.
While trying to get people together for this, I came to learn that another group of guys had already been planning to form a group. I was told they were meeting to discuss a plan of action for the next year. When I went to the meeting, in front of the A.D. White Statue, there were about 5 guys there; we decided that when the next school year began in August, we would regroup and begin. The name of the group was to be "Last Call", named by an individual that was not at the meeting but would supposedly join us the following year.
August came and I never got a call. So I looked up the individuals that were supposed to show, and tried to contact them (with little success). At the same time, I was taking gymnastics with an Asian gentleman with whom I would practice karate. He was called Gabriel; as his name indicates, he would be a powerful spirit, not only helping to start the group, but one day keeping it alive. Gabriel sang in the Chorale and was a baritone; I asked him to join me in starting a new male a cappella group. At first he wasn't interested, but with some persuasion he liked the idea. That was a good thing.
The first meeting came. There were four people there - Gabe, myself, and two other folks that we would never see again. Although the session was short, Gabe and I had a great time harmonizing a simple song, so we set the next meeting for the following week. However, we found out soon afterwards that the only one of us who played piano didn't want to be in the group, so Gabe took it upon himself to prepare the music for the next rehearsal. The two of us also recruited a few new members to replace those that didn't want to show up again.
This was the historic plan. Gabe and I would watch another a cappella group perform across the street from Cascadilla and get some ideas. Using that, we could prepare for our next rehearsal. As things turned out, Gabe slept through the concert, and later that night when I called him, he apologized, and I decided to meet him in the Cascadilla piano room. It's a good thing Gabe overslept that day, because when we went to play the piano, someone was already there practicing. Yes, it was he: Bryan Pitts.
Bryan was able to perform all kinds of musical miracles. Sometimes, it seemed he could musically walk on water. Somehow, we convinced him to join us in our dream to start a new male a cappella group.
Looking back, this is what I consider the beginning of Last Call.
September 13, 1993.
We sang "Against All Odds" as Bryan played piano. The irony was that that very song's title would be our silent motto. With Bryan's technical skills on piano, Gabe's well-rounded musical skills, and my naive enthusiasm, we began a journey without ever looking back.
As luck had it, we managed to recruit a group of 6-8 people off the streets and from dining halls and friends who told us that they knew good singers. Ben Assanasan and Jon Goodwyn were two of the individuals that would join us in the very beginning. The first song that we ever learned was "In the Still of the Night". The rest, as they say, is history.
Just some trivia: We often called ourselves "Six Pack" because although many people came and left the group, we always managed to have a core of six. That number grew, reaching a little over ten by the time I was leaving.
The group became an official Cornell organization that semester, when I filled out a "new organization" form in Day Hall; the form should still be there. If you check the 1993 Cornell Yearbook, you should see the first official Last Call picture. Our first big performance was when we sang "Heal the World" for an AIDS benefit: many groups performed, but we happened to be the group they aired on the news. Just part of the luck we had from the very beginning.
We questioned changing the name of our group a couple of times, but we never really got around to it. It meant something different to each of us. To some, it meant the last call for a good time. To others, it was a spiritual call. It was catchy. It was different. So we decided to keep the name, because it somehow felt good.
And thus began our adventures. And there were many. And so came the first of the many legendary names, names such as Patrick Reynolds and Myles Evans. Those are just two of the many I had the pleasure of singing with. Chairs have been thrown across the room. Singing all-nighters. Even a group civil war.
But we made it.
Sincerely, one of many witnesses,
Fahim Hashim
"Against all odds," Last Call has, without a doubt, progressed immensely since its early years. Well known for a perfect blend of vocal quality and entertaining performances, Last Call has charmed thousands of fans through 25+ shows, hundreds of performances, and numerous trips to other campuses, states, and countries. In 2002, Last call even entertained millions of NBC viewers with a live performance on The Today Show.
Only four years after its creation, Last Call produced its first CD, Vested Interest. By incorporating humorous tracks and ideas into this CD, Last Call showed the world comedy and a cappella make a very cute couple. Several years later, this idea is still very important to us, only slightly more important than the mystery of Ted Pines' hat.
Last Call's fourth release, Straight Up, released in 2004, brought Last Call to a whole new level with several award-winning tracks. In fact, three different tracks won awards from three different Collegiate A Cappella organizations. Visit the Straight Up album page for more information.
Our newly released album, Brewed in the Attic, just came out in May, and we're still peeing our pants over it. Order a copy and let us know if you've reacted similarly. Enjoy!
