The Acapodcast

Acapodcast #65: Seven minutes to say goodbye.

65 isn’t a hugely significant number. Its a common speed limit on highways. And it’s the nominal age of retirement.  Neither has terribly much to do with a cappella. But they are both indicative of limits, changes, and endings.  No joke, it has literally been 6 months since I last put out a show, and it’s time for me to fess up to myself and to everyone that The Acapodcast, at least as it is, is being retired.  And I’ll go into this in a bit, but I want to start with some thanks. Thanks to all the groups who sent in music, or gave me the green light to put them on the show. Especially those in the first year, when podcasts were still fairly new, and The Acapodcast was a new thing with not a lot to show. It’s because of early groups responding to emails out of the blue from some random dude with no name or affiliation that I was able to build a show and a brand and get more and more for the listeners. Thanks to fellow podcasters and audio wonks who contributed their knowledge. When I started I came with a knowledge of the computer side, but not the audio side, and the help was invaluable. A special nod to Brian Ibbott of Coverville fame for his write-ups on dealing with music licensing agencies. Similarly, thanks to all the other podcasters and websites and people who made a plug for me, mentioned me to their audience, or just told a friend. Thanks to the a cappella community as a whole.  The folks at RARB, CASA, and every other a cappella community venue are some of the most passionate, and yet the most kind and supportive folks around.  Every hobby, niche or not, should have such a talented and dedicated community. Thanks also to a few specific people who helped me turn the show into what it became.  Thanks to Tony Angeles for the artwork, and the enthusiasm.  Thanks to Deke Sharon for all the music, the bed tracks, and his humble cheerleading. Thanks to Joey C., Mr. Tim, and others who gave me something to measure up to and who unknowingly egged me on to be better. Thanks most of all to all the listeners over the past 5 years. I never stopped hearing from fans, giving words of encouragement, suggestions, thanks, and compliments.  I’m a fundamentally shy guy by nature, and you rewarded me for putting myself out there. So, why stop?  Well, basically, its because the show has kind of reached the point where it’s done what I’ve set out to do with it.  When I started 5 years ago I was interested in podcasting, and especially interested in podcasting a cappella. At the time I saw a big vacuum in that regard, one that I had the ability to fill.  At the time, podcasts were starting to take off, but a cappella was still far out of the mainstream.  I’d hoped that by starting the show I could reach out to a little bit more of that mainstream.  Now, I’m not saying that a cappella is mainstream yet, but face it, we’re closer than we’ve ever been.  I say this coming off the heels of the second season of the Sing-Off, including appearances in the Macy’s Day parade. I say this because I feel we’re now at the point where almost everyone has at least heard the term a cappella, and knows what it means.  I say this because more and more mainstream musicians are connecting with a cappella, from Naturally 7 touring with Michael Buble, to Ben Folds releasing an a cappella covers album.  I say this because shows like Glee are raising a global interest in vocal music, and the interest in voices as more than just the lead to a pop song. I also set out to become more involved and connected with the a cappella community myself. To get to know more great artists and groups, fans and a cappella movers and shakers.  And I have.  It’s brought me to more concerts, festivals, and discussions than I would have thought possible.  As I mentioned, I’m not normally one to put myself out there. I was always the guy who sang the harmonies or the fundamentals, and not the soloist. So it was also a dare to myself, to be the front man on something. And since I have too much stage fright to front a group as a soloist, I started behind a microphone at my desk instead. There are other reasons for wrapping up the show.  To be fair, my life is in a different place.  It’s been 5 years, and a lot can happen in five years.  I’ve changed jobs, gotten married, and bought a house.  And those are just the big things.  Putting out a regular show doesn’t fit in my life the way it used to.  And I care too much to phone it in.  Some might say I’m letting perfect be the enemy of good, and that any show is better than no show, but there’s more to it than that.  There is no reason for me to put out a subpar show now when there are so many good places for you to go that are way better avenues.  The rise of iTunes, Pandora, and YouTube make it far easier to find new and quality music.  Websites like the Acappella Blog and The Vocal Blog can give you more news and updates than I ever did.  Twitter and Facebook can keep you more connected to your favorite artists.  And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Mouth Off Podcast, where Dave and Chris do a better job at everything I was hoping to do than I could ever do.  Having two people, with a segments and updates format, a weekly album review, and a legitimate background in the hobby gives them more insight, authority, and connectedness than I ever had.  You might complain that they don’t play full songs, but trust me, the licenses for that are -not- cheap, and if the goal is to learn more about a cappella and to find great new music, it;s hard to do better than their show. So where do I go from here? Where does the show go from here?  Well, I’m not going away.  The web site is staying up, I’m still on twitter and Facebook and email and forums.  For the third year I’m nominating for the CARA awards.  And I’m still going to more shows and listening to more a cappella than I did before all this started.  I’m going to be stepping back though, and looking for where I can next spend my energies to help out this community.  And yes, I’m open to suggestions.  I’m hoping to do more singing in 2011, as I haven’t been in a group since 2007, and haven’t done much singing at all since then.  I fear I’d have a hard time with even the warmups at this point.  I may even change things up and record a podcast now and again, but The Acapodcast as it has been is over. So, in closing, thank you all for listening over the years, and for being a part of this with me.  I have been deeply humbled and honored by you.  It has been an amazing ride sharing the love of a cappella with all of you.

Acapodcast #64

No bones, I’m a big fan of the music from the late 80’s and early 90’s. It’s when I started making my own music collection, and when I started listening to a cappella music extensively… so for show #64 it seemed the perfect time to do an 80’s focus. Specifically on 1988. Get it? 64=8*8? Of course you get it. All my listeners are smart. (And good looking too, right? And talented.) So here are a bunch of songs that all topped the charts in 1988, starting with the first (and only, so far, I think) a cappella song to hit Number One on the US music charts. Only fair to feature an original song by the original artist.  In a cool tie to the last show, the original music video for the song stars Robin Williams in addition to Bobby McFerrin.  And it connects with another song in today’s show, as they both were in the movie Cocktail.  I remember “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” being on the radio about the time I first joined my grade school chorus… aaaand right about now I’m going to tell all my listeners still in college (or high school) to stop sniggering. One day you’ll be where I am.  In the meantime, go to Audible.com and get some learning on the Eighties, alright? Those of us who don’t know our vocal history are doomed (or blessed?) to repeat it.  In the meantime, listen to the following on this show: Track Title Artist Album Original Artist Don’t Worry, Be Happy Bobby McFerrin Simple Pleasures Bobby McFerrin Sign Your Name The House Jacks Drive Terence Trent D’arby Sweet Child o’Mine Deep Treble All Kinds of Treble Guns n’ Roses Kokomo The King’s Singers Spirit Voices The Beach Boys Faith The Coats Your Joy George Michael Wild Wild West Boyz Nite Out Harmony Sweepstakes 1995 / Very Best of the Harmony Sweepstakes Escape Club Never Gonna Give You Up On The Rocks Best of College A Cappella 2009 Rick Astley Wow.  I’ve been utterly unable to find any place to pick up a copy of Deep Treble’s album ‘All Kinds of Treble’.  If you know of a place to get that, let me know.  Likewise, the recording of the 1995 Harmony Sweeps is completely unavailable and out of print.  If you get lucky though, you can still occasionally find a copy of ‘The Very Best of the Harmony Sweepstakes’.  This is not one of those occasions, sorry to say. The Shipyard Sings – you can find this, as mentioned during the show, at http://www.hinghamlaunch.com .   I’m really sorry to everyone who was hoping to go see NoTA live..  They were there back on June 26th, a few days ago as of this posting.  There are still opportunities to see other great groups, including the Tufts Beelzebubs. For now, go ahead and listen to the Acapodcast #64, and let me know what you think… P.S. I can’t find the video showing Bobby singing the different parts (I thought I’d seen that somewhere…) but here’s the original video with Robin Williams in it.

Acapodcast #63, Beatles Collection

Who doesn’t love The Beatles?  One of the most loved, respected, and covered artists of all time, they helped define a new movement in music, and even today there are fans, critics, and imitators.  I’ve pulled together ten of the best A Cappella covers of Beatles songs for this episode.  If you like it, let me know.  I started with over 120 tracks, so I may do another Beatles episode at some point.  Here’s what you’ll hear in the show: Track Title Artist Album Strawberry Fields Forever The Bobs Come Together: An A Cappella Tribute to the Beatles Eleanor Rigby Overboard Help! Penny Lane The King’s Singers The Beatles Connection Got To Get You Into My Life Firedrill! ...Sings Without Music, Vol. II Blackbird Clockwork Tesseract Paperback Writer Toxic Audio Chemistry Let It Be The Nylons Fabric of Life: Vocal Percussion Remix Day Tripper Swingle Singers Ticket to Ride: A Beatles Tribute Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / With A Little Help From My Friends Da Vinci’s Notebook Bendy's Law Come Together Robin Williams and Bobby McFerrin In My Life Don’t forget to leave your comment below for a chance to win a copy of ‘Chemistry’ by Toxic Audio, which includes that fabulous rendition of Paperback Writer.  If you like the idea behind this show, which artist or theme should I tackle next? This show was brought to you by Audible, the best place on the Internet to get audiobooks.  All it takes is a computer or an iPod…. the same sorts of things it takes to listen to this podcast!  Sign up at http://audiblepodcast.com/acapodcast to get a -free- audiobook. Click here to listen to the Acapodcast show #63!

Acapodcast #62

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*

Acapodcast #61

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!