IU Soul Revue brings mix of soul, funk, Motown to Bear’s Place

Wednesday night at Bear’s Place, the IU Soul Revue took the stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd, belting out the classics of soul, Motown and funk. The singers performed in groups of four or more, changing with every song.

Many in the audience have been going to their shows for years.

“I love them,” said senior Stephanie Thomas. “I have been going to see them since freshman year.” 

Sophomore Tiffany Clay heard about IU Soul Revue though its performance at Potpourri of the Arts on Nov. 8 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

“The concert was very rich, with lots of energy and very electric, and the singers were outstanding,” Clay said.

IU Soul Revue member and freshman Dominique Davie said preparing for a show is a lot of work.

Before the group learns a song, the performers research the music and learn about the artist.

“We meet three times a week for two hours, sometimes longer if it’s closer to shows,” said senior Lakyra Pharms.

The singers agree that being in IU Soul Revue has given them an appreciation for recording artists who perform night after night.

In addition to performing, IU Soul Revue also gives students insight into what it is like to be a recording artist.

“You have to know about performance etiquette, about mics, monitors, controls, techniques,” said freshman Travis Bruce.

The band even goes on tours, visiting nearby cities to perform. Occasionally the group will go up to Indianapolis to perform at the Madame Walker Theatre Center for local high school students, and after the show they have a question and answer session for students to ask them about their majors and plans for the future.

Toward the end of Wednesday’s show, the band went into the audience and encouraged the crowd to sing, walking from table to table asking the patrons to give it their best shot.

By the end of the night everyone in the crowd was standing, clapping and singing with the band.

In their four years singing with IU Soul Revue, both Pharms and senior Terrilyn Dennie have had a lot of fun performing with the group. They even opened for James Brown in 2006 when he performed at IU.

“We got to meet James Brown in his last U.S. show before he died,” Pharms said.
During the performance last night, when the singers were not singing with the band, they would sit together and hang out.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Dennie said. “We are like a family, one big happy family.”