Here’s one way to make your Valentine’s Day more memorable: Serenade that special someone. And if your singing isn’t up to snuff, don’t worry. That’s where the Liquid Hotplates come in.
“The Liquid Hotplates are a co-ed a cappella group on campus. We’ve been hosting shows and events, and right now we’re selling singing valentines for $10 each,” said second-year environmental planning major Tiffany Wang, a Hotplates member. The songs will be delivered on Saturday.
According to the official website, the Hotplates’ origins extend back to the fall of 2000, when Scott Whitacre, a UC Davis voice teacher, formed a jazz octet called the Davis Aces. After Whitacre passed on leadership of the group to graduate student and Aces member Steve Gellar, the newly student-run group began recruiting new members and made the transition from jazz to an a cappella style.
Since then, they have traveled and performed all over California, recorded an album and continued their annual tradition of delivering singing valentines, which they will deliver to anywhere in Davis or via phone or Skype.
“We’ll be in Hellacappella on March 1 at the Mondavi Center,” said communication major Jess Welsh when asked about the group’s plans for the rest of the quarter.
Finally, if for some reason you need more reason to buy a singing valentine, the Hotplates put all their money toward cancer research.
“It’s really sentimental, and all of our proceeds go to the American Cancer Society,” said biology major Cindy Kovacs.
To learn more about the Hotplates, visit their website at theliquidhotplates.com. To order a singing valentine and view the available songs, either find them on Facebook or visit their table at the Memorial Union this week.
BRETT BUNGE can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
