Success hasn't eclipsed group's passion for music

Like many college groups, the Eclipse singers started out "hoping to woo women with song."

They didn't really "map out a five-year plan," says Shayne Taylor. "We just wanted to be cool."

When people asked how much they would charge to perform, "we thought, 'We can get paid for this?' " adds Kevin Jones. At their first real gig, "they felt bad because they could only pay us $300. We thought we had won the lottery."

And when they did a concert, "people asked us where they could buy our CD, so we thought maybe we should record one."

That was back in 1999. Eclipse, a six-member a cappella group, has been at it ever since. There have been five CDs, appearances on the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Games, numerous Pearl Awards from the Faith Centered Music Association, a Best of State award, and hundreds of other concerts.

And, yes, apparently they did impress the women; they are now all married, with day-jobs (to "support their habit," says Taylor), mortgages and a dozen or so kids among them.

One member, Paul Hansen, now lives in Tennessee and flies in for concerts. The other members of the group are Dan Kartchner, Jake Despain and James Case. Over the years some of the original members have left and been replaced by others.

So, a lot has changed. "We've had to adjust what we do over the years," says Taylor. But one thing has not changed: their passion for a cappella music.

They will bring that passion and their unique style to the stage of the Grand Theatre for a series of concerts Thursday-Saturday. It will feature a lot of Christmas music, both from their "Three Kings" CD released in 2003 and a new one they are currently working on.

Christmas music is a perfect genre for a cappella, the men say. "The tight harmonies, the amazing arrangements are perfect," says Despain. Many of their arrangements were done by Patrick Rose, who was a charter member of the group before "he went to Berkeley Film School and ended up composing music for television," says Despain, who replaced him in the group. "It's a different type of composition and arrangement, since we only work with the human voice," he adds.

But that's one of the most fulfilling and exciting things about a cappella, says Taylor. "We can take song ideas and make them our own. It's a very fun, very creative process."