Mouth Off 11.01.09
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Around the Horn Jeff Thacher will be at SoJam, Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir, Vocomotion Studios are beautiful, Vienna Boys Mixed Choir, Zing! wins Sweet Adelines championship, Kindacappella, review of Sonos in concert, Dave & Christopher are going to be busy at SoJam, Naturally 7 on Buble’s new album, M-Pact’s Britt Quentin is playing the king of pop.In the Basement A cappella pioneer Richard “Bob” Greene is singing lower than ever.
This is Not an Instrument Cluster’s “One Note Samba” features great trumpets voices that sound exactly like trumpets.
A Cappella Alumni Former UNC Clef Hangers singer Brendan Ernst James is now a big pro star with a record deal. His debut album The Day is Brave is beautiful.
Monster Mash NYC-based Contemporary A cappella League group the Red States‘ mashup of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Rihanna’s “Disturbia” is tasteful and clever.
Album Review Kettering High School Eleventh Hour’s latest album Like Clockwork sets the bar high for teenage singers. The group’s immaturity shows, but their sophisticated talent shines through.
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Wow. I didn’t need any credits, guys, but thanks. Great show again and thanks for not laughing too hard when mentioning my creatively unique last name!
I’m just jealous because my last name is so boring.
-Dave Boring
Thanks guys! As the arranger of The Red States’ “Just Dance,” I appreciate the review! I’m so pumped about this track and its coming release with the Sing VI Compilation… Even more will come soon, I’m sure of it!!
Nice work featuring Brendan, guys. It was a pleasure working with him back in the day before he blew up….hopefully this will turn on a new slew (ew) of fans to his work.
PS, Christopher – Red States just within the past couple months started working on a cover of…. “Disturbia!” Yes, we’re about a year late in the prime of its popularity, but in Red States fashion, we’re all “f that shiz” about popularity and still doing it.
And, as the self-proclaimed king/queen (hah) of countermelodies in Red States (I have a tendency to populate my arrangements with countermelodies ever since my college days; call it a sickness, whatever.), this arrangement features snippets of Lady Gaga’s “Love Game” sung by the baritones and Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” sung by the altos. Yeah, you heard me. What.
That probably scratches your itch a bit more. Need some calamine lotion?
…for a good time, call Jim Diego
Dio: Thanks for your help getting background info on Brendan, and for the clips you gave us.
Jim: Congratulations, and eww.
PPS. Please explain. Scoach? Scoche? (I personnally like that one, it’s frenchified.) Scoatch? Give us the merriam-webster on that one.
Kthanxbai.
Couldn’t help but notice that you guys didn’t refer to Eleventh Hour’s musical director at any point in the review. Are they self-directed or do they have a faculty member nudging them in the right direction? Having an “adult in the room” gives high school groups an unfair advantage over a lot of arrogant collegiate groups who suck without having the perspective to figure out that they’re sucking. I judged both Varisty Vocals finals in April 2006, and the ICHSA final (as an overall show) was far, far, far better than the ICCA final the following night. The difference was really striking; it was the attention to excruciating detail of the college groups versus the cultivation of overall sound of the high school groups. Having an “adult in the room” will do that for you; we can only hope that these high school singers will keep that lesson of perspective in mind when they go on to college groups and all of the distractions and egos and musical regression they often entail.
Wow, good point Warren!
Brody McDonald is their director, and he’s one of the most capable movers and shakers in the high school a cappella world. He’s arguably their biggest reason for success–they couldn’t do what they do without him!
In the plus side, we’ve bragged about him in the past, so hopefully he’ll forgive our omission of his name in this particular episode. He’s a good friend. PROPS TO BRODY!
–DB
And now you will come to Invisible Men’s gig, so. At Alphabet Lounge in the east village on Dec. 10, so. Because you live in New York City and you acknowledge my points, so.
ooOOOOOOhhhhhhh sOMEbody talks like Christopher now. Welcome to the fold, so. That’s our life, so.
When I was in High School the term “scoach” was a derogatory exclamation. Not sure where it came from, but if someone or something was being a jerk or just plain stupid you would call them a scoach. Ex: If someone took my food at the lunch table, “Scoach, get your own food!” Or if someone beat me at Goldeneye 007 on N64, “Scoach!”