The combination of deliciously decadent ice cream and impromptu musical performance heated up the night on the corner of Agate Street and 19th Avenue on Friday night.
Booming elephant and chimpanzee impersonations are made throughout a high-energy rendition of the Lion King’s “Circle of Life” by Gonzaga University’s coed a cappella group, the Big Bing Theory.
The performance took place in front of Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream, an unlikely music venue located at 1605 E 19th Avenue.
A Eugene staple, Prince Puckler’s has had the occasional request from musical groups in the area to perform in front of their shop during the beautiful months of spring and summer.
“As long as it’s basic mellow, family-style music it’s fine,” says Prince Puckler’s manager Anita Schendel.
However, it’s not just animal noises during the Big Bing Theory’s family friendly Disney classic.
The group’s even mixture of six men and six women balance each other out with smooth harmonies and well-placed solos where a member of the group stands in the front and belts particular parts of each song with surprising in-tune clarity.
The group has all of the usual alto, tenor, bass and soprano singers, but they also bring an extra pizzazz with group member Elliot Kraber who either sings tenor or beat boxes depending on the song.
Kraber’s strong beat boxing skills are apparent during the group’s a cappella renditions of the Spice Girl’s “Wannabe” and the Black Eyed Peas’ “Where is the Love.”
For their post-graduation impromptu concert series, the group is traveling all around the Northwest to perform in the homes of their families and friends.
This year’s performance stops include Spokane, Wash.; Seattle area; Corvallis and La Grande.
The trip’s gas fund comes from sales of their new and old recordings, including their latest album, “Five Minutes Late” and this year’s Christmas album “A BBT Christmas.” The group’s also selling T-shirts with the Big Bing Theory logo on the front in green, black and pink.
Both the CDs and T-shirts are $15 and are also available online at www.bigbingtheory.com.
Friday’s Eugene pit stop in front of Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream was made as a special request by alto Amy Ryan, a native of Eugene who graduated from Churchill High School in 2004.
In years past the group’s Eugene performance has been accompanied by members of the University of Oregon’s a cappella groups Divisi and On the Rocks. Unfortunately a collaboration was unable to happen because both Divisi and On the Rocks were out of town when the Big Bing Theory came into Eugene to perform.
Ryan’s ties to the University of Oregon and Eugene include her father, William Ryan, who is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication, and her old summer job as an ice cream scooper at Prince Puckler’s.
With flavors such as Mexican mocha, chai tea and banana brownie, Prince Puckler’s is the place to get tasty homemade ice cream.
Recently the ice cream shop has boasted extra notoriety with a high profile visit from democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Saturday afternoon. Barack ordered mint chip, while Michelle favored the unusual green tea ice cream.
“We sold another tub of mint chip in about 15 minutes,” says Schendel. “Everyone wanted Barack’s flavor.”
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