The Acapodcast

I’d like to tell everyone about a very special a cappella festival coming up.  It’s called SpringSing, and it’s a weekend full of classes, workshops, concerts, and opportunities to meet some fabulous people.  And even better, it’s all done in the name of charity.  The Team Burns Charity Foundation organizes the whole event and the proceeds all go to the American Cancer Society!

Here’s a little taste of what you can see or participate in if you go to this year’s SpringSing, taking place on April 16th and 17th, in Athens, Georgia:

1. A collegiate competition, showcasing 6 different groups, and hosted by the terrific UGA Accidentals!
2. A pro concert, with Almost Recess, Blue Jupiter, Duwende, and more!
3. Workshops on everything from Arranging (with Duwende) to Vocal Percussion (with the -awesome- Dave Baumgartner)!
4. Masterclasses for you and your group!
5. The chance to hang out with people like Dave Baumgartner, Dave Brown, Marty Gasper, and the sassy ladies of FSU’s AcaBelles!

And did I mentioned that it’s only $30 for a weekend pass that gets you everything? And if that’s not enough, remember, it’s to help in the fight against cancer!  I want as many of my listeners to go as possible!  If you do go, send me a message letting me know, and I’ll send you a special bonus!

Thanks to my friend Diana for sending me this one.  This is too good not to share!

Back again! This time with a focus on High School a cappella, and the ICHSA competition.  Three of the four groups below just competed in the New England Semifinal, and the last group will be competing shortly in the Midatlantic Semifinal. See below for more information!

Track Title	Artist	Album	Original Artist
The Lion Sleeps Tonight	Town Criers	Stimulus Package	The Tokens, amongst many
I Wish	The Jewel Tones	Not yet on any CD! To be Released on April 30th!	Stevie Wonder
Keep Breathing	Luminescence	Not yet on any CD!	Ingrid Michaelson
Miss Independent	Luminescence	nonpareil	Kelly Clarkson
Sound of Silence	Town Criers	Stimulus Package	Simon and Garfunkel
This Island Earth	The 18 Wheelers	A Lesson in Tightropes	The Nylons

Now, after you’ve heard show #62, I want to tell you a few more things.  First, go to the Town Criers facebook page linked to above.  There you’ll find a couple of videos of their competition set.  Fun choreo with the opening number (Lion Sleeps Tonight)!  Second, Amanda Roeder has been doing -awesome- work with the students at Marblehead.  Every time they come out with something new, I’m floored all over again.  There’s a great local article on Amanda and the Marblehead groups at http://www.wickedlocal.com/. I know I’m heaping a lot of praise on Amanda, but she’s just the directing force, and I want to call out the amazing students she has, with their hard work, energy, and above all, passion and talent. Lastly, I want to once again direct everyone to http://www.casa.org/acanom where you can submit your nominations for this year’s ACAs, including, new this year, an ACA award for best a cappella podcast! *nudge, nudge*

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Wow, 2010 already!  Well, 2009 was a banner year for a cappella, with so many incredible albums, so much positive media attention, and it seemed like every time I turned around, somebody was stepping it up to the next level.  I’m going to tell you right now that 2010 is promising more of that.  I can’t say exactly what it will bring, but it promises great things.  In this first show of 2010, you’ll hear:

Track Title	Artist	Album	Original Artist
Let’s Get It Started	Tufts Beelzebubs	Shedding (2005)	Black Eyed Peas
What Hurts The Most	Six Appeal	Four Play (2009)	Rascal Flatts
Gravity	Overboard	Stranded (2007)	John Mayer
Let It Die	Tufts Amalgamates	Teaser (2009)	Foo Fighters
In The Back Seat	UNC Loreleis	On The Record (2008)	Arcade Fire
My Romance	Fifth Avenue		Gloria Grafton and Donald Novis (by way of the Hi Lo’s)

As I mentioned in the show, I was a nominator for this year’s CARA awards (which are for albums released in 2009), and one thing struck me as I was listening: I was pleased to hear the rise in the music genre diversity.  Pop/Rock is an overly broad classification at times, but it was especially true to my ears this year, where I heard Pop, Rock, Y’alternative, Alt-Rock, Grunge, Hick-Hop, Christian Rock, Teutonic style metal, hair bands, ballads, classic rock, New Wave, and a lot more than I would have expected.  It was surprising and pleasant.  Also, it seems like the proliferation of quality engineering and masterful production is shrinking the gap from the mediocre to the supreme.  I had some difficult choices to make this year.  We’ll see the results next week.  In the meantime, go listen to show #61, and let me know what you think of the new website!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.