Mouth Off

Voices Only 2010 Announcement! Around the Horn Cornell Last Call alum Jonathan Wong hit #1 on the Hong Kong charts with an a cappella song (produced by Tat Tong), Mosaic is auditioning a new tenor, Steve Martin singing a cappella, big ol’ high profile feature article on Freddie Feldman and VOCOMOTION Studios, Sonos collaborates with dancers and performs at ASCAP Awards, yoga studio in New York seeking a cappella singers to accompany classes, Straight No Chaser dominating the universe (including July 4 Macy’s Fireworks), Human Beatbox Convention in NYC late July, Hingham Shipyard mega aca sweepstakes launch with cash prizes, Dylan Bell makes the case for imperfection. Arrangement Spotlight Dave loves what the June Soup2Nuts students did with Lady Gaga’s “Telephone.” It’s zombietastic. Voices Only 2010 Announcement Part 1 The lineup for Disc One is announced! Five Minutes With… Deke Sharon. My New Girlfriend Dave has fallen in love with the beautiful voice and genius arranging brain of Joanna Goldsmith-Eteson from the Swingle Singers. Voices Only 2010 Announcement Part 2 The lineup for Disc Two is announced, followed by Christopher and Dave’s analysis.  Clips abound.

In Your Earbuds Christopher is obsessed with the soundtrack to Eclipse, the latest movie in the Twilight saga. Dave is roflcoptering. This is Not an Instrument Northwestern University’s co-ed supergroup Purple Haze doing I Fight Dragons doing Imogen Heap. Freaking alien robots. AcaTube A fan email points Christopher to JesiErin, a YouTube multi-tracker. Listener Mailbag Thank you notes, group management and communication, JapanMix, a voicemail from Scotland, more discussion on articulation of aca-syllables, and Laura Izibor love. Album Review Dave & Christopher GO OFF in their review of Balls to the Wall, the long-anticipated debut album from the co-ed soulful sensation the NYU N’Harmonics.

All-Female Special! Musical Mouthful If you liked Duke Out of the Blue‘s “grinka,” a Mouth Off fan says you’ll love the Bulgarian Women’s Choir‘s “Kaval Sviri.” Monster Mash Christopher revisits his compilation collection, and remembers how much everyone loves the USC Sirens. Their mashup of Zero 7‘s “Destiny” and “In the Waiting Line” is one for the books. Girl Power Dave says there’s nothing hotter than empowered women, which means there’s nothing hotter than women’s colleges, of which the Seven Sisters Schools are cream of the crop.  NYC-based all-female group The MetropoliTones is a group of nothing but Seven Sisters alumni.  Their latest record isn’t anything to write home about, but Dave is still in love nonetheless. The Good Ol’ Days Christopher explains how England-based lady group the Mint Juleps paved the way for all-female groups everywhere. Album Review UGA Noteworthy‘s new album Party in the UGA isn’t much of a party, but there are some beeeeaaauuutiful moments. Album Review The UNCG Sapphires‘ latest release Tempest sometimes takes itself too seriously, but Christopher calls it “award-worthy.”

Around the Horn Auditions for The Sing-Off wrapped up today, ACR won a business plan competition, Voices Only submission are in, Rockapella has a new album coming out, Nota is headed to the studio, UCB Noteworthy gets 15 seconds of fame on America’s Got Talent, New Directions a cappella choir made up of formerly homeless vets featured on America’s Got Talent, 6th International Human Beatbox Convention, Sonos is in the studio recording their Christmas album, an a cappella feature film, RARB is accepting applications for new reviewers, A Cappella Blog is done for the season, the ACA results are in, WE WON FAVORITE A CAPPELLA PODCAST THANK YOUUUUU! In the Basement Bari-tenor Dave has a mancrush on Nate Kondrat from OSU Outspoken, whose rumbly bass leads the way on Josh Turner’s “Would You Go with Me?” Sexypella The UNC Clef Hangers‘ 2002 version of George Michael’s “Father Figure” has Christopher a little sweaty. High School Focus Dave zooms in on the award-winning co-ed group The Jewel Tones from Marblehead High School in Marblehead, Mass.  This highly decorated group brings energy and professionalism to all they do, including their newest album Debate Club. Album Review Dave & Christopher take a very active listen to Go Nuts!, the latest album from all-male group The Back Row from Colorado College.  The unique production process on the album yields a high-quality, if frenzied, record.  Truly nuts.

EP Special LOL The new EP from 2010 Harmony Sweepstakes champions The Plumbers of Rome has Dave laughing right out loud. Arrangement Spotlight Christopher shows that the Tufts Amalgamates handle Sara B‘s “Gravity” (on their EP Teaser) with a heavier, crunchier hand than most. Young and Original Dave says Ascending Height’s 2006 EP Turn It Up is a 100% original, 100% brilliant record. My New Boyfriend Christopher is dating the voice of Jerome Collins from Straight No Chaser.  His lead on “Rehab” from the group’s EP Six Pack is not terrible. Album(s) Review(s) In a double dose of mixed group mayhem, the boys review two EPs from mixed collegiate powerhouse groups.  Dave gives his take on Tessellate, the new EP from FSU All-Night Yahtzee, then Christopher reviews Shake the Poet, the latest EP from the Cornell Chordials.  Both records are meaty, but D&C declare a solid showing all around.

Around the Horn Sing-Off auditions are underway, Plumbers of Rome take Harmony Sweepstakes championship, a new a cappella opera, casting call for an a cappella Off Broadway musical, happy birthday to CPapworthy, The Real Group has a new baritone!, AcaBootCamp is filling up fast, CASA is looking for feedback on new e-newsletter, Vocal Blog rates top 11 most effective a cappella group websites, Town Criers share the stage with Mister Tim and Overboard and Five O’Clock Shadow and Duwende, Imogen Heap seeking a cappella singers for new tour, Nate Tao has a solo album out, one week left to submit your collegiate album to Voices Only! Song Suggestion P.S. Dave is in love with “Carousel” by Laura Izibor, and thinks someone should cover it a cappella. Spit Loud Christopher accepts that Bjork is a freak show, but when she brings in beatboxers like Japan’s Dokaka and Rahzel from the Roots, the result is muy intriguing. Did You Know? Catherine Lewis is back with another behind-the-scenes look at a famous song. Today’s story involves U2‘s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” Casey Casem, and sample band Negativland.  Christopher is intrigued by Negativland’s unique style, and Dave just wants to keep talking about copyright and trademark law. Album Review If their latest album Do Not Disturb is any indication, OSU Outspoken has arrived. Dave praises the group’s restraint and loves dancing along, while Christopher calls Outspoken a role model for younger groups. Both make it a pick for a 2011 Best Male Collegiate Album CARA nom.

ONE YEAR, B[JODO]EZ.

Around the Horn Mouth Off nominated for an ACA! Join CASA and vote for us, Sing-Off season 2 audition info, FB group: House Jacks for Sing-Off Hosts, CASA.org reviews ICCA Finals and ICHSA Finals + photos now available, Nota a hit at Latin Billboard Music Awards, Dave teams with producer Freddie Feldman for A cappella Boot Camp (ABC), On the Rocks goes viral with Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” UCSD TriTones’ YouTube vid sends them to Country Music Awards fame with Taylor Swift, Harmony Sweepstakes Finals are next weekend in Marin, CA, SNC sings TGIF faves on Jimmy Fallon, SNC hits TOP 40!!! Arrangement Spotlight A letter from female-group director Steve Antalek prompts a thoughtful discussion on the best way to handle low bass lines for all-female groups. Queen of lady arranging, Catherine Papworth (former director of 2007 ICCA champs BYU Noteworthy), chimes in with some useful tips. Cool Chord of the Week Cadence’s version of the hit song “True Colors” is supremely touching, complete with 6ths and 9ths, and they do it all with only four voices. Listener Mailbag Listeners are writing in, calling in, posting, reviewing, commenting, you name it.  Vocal horns to die for, a cut-to-the-chase review on iTunes, an acapology from Christopher for mixing up tenors with females, an aca celebrity spotting, Kelis’s new song “Acapella,” a beatboxing bird, and some post-ICCA-Finals love from AcaBelles, Red States, and Peter Hollens. Album Review Straight No Chaser’s latest album With a Twist cracked the 22-year-old a cappella glass ceiling.  How did Deke and Atlantic Records* and SNC do it?  Dave and Christopher offer many thoughts on this question, and consider why aca-fans should rejoice, even if the album itself is a bit underwhelming. *During the episode, we said that Sony was the record label, when in fact it was Atlantic, which is a division of Warner Records. Apologies for the misinformation.

A cappella Community Awards In honor of the recent announcement listing the ACA nominees, we take a look back at past segments featuring several of the nominated groups.  And don’t forget to join CASA today and vote for Mouth Off for your Favorite A cappella Podcast! Musical Mouthful 9/13/09 – Duke Out of the Blue, nominated for Favorite Female Collegiate Group, make funny noises like grinka. Gringka?  Green card? This is Not an Instrument 6/28/09 – The Tufts Beelzebubs, nominated for Favorite Male Collegiate Group, Favorite Collegiate Album, Favorite Male Vocalist, Favorite Vocal Percussionist, and Favorite Medley… *inhale* still dominate the recording world with instrument-like sounds, such as their famous take on “Come Sail Away.” Monster Mash 11/1/09 – The Red States, nominated for Favorite Newcomer and Favorite Contemporary A cappella League group, mash it up with “Just Dance/Disturbia.” My New Boyfriend Relationship 9/13/09 – Riltons Vanner, nominated for Favorite Folk/World group, make Christopher sweat with “De Vill Att Vi Bugar Och Niger” (They Want Us to Bow and Curtsy). Album Review 8/30/09 – The Stanford Harmonics, nominated for Favorite Mixed Collegiate Group, Favorite Arrangement, and Most Cutting Edge Group, continue pushing the envelope with Escape Velocity.

ICCA Finals Review For those who’ve been living in a cave, let us be the first to tell you that last night, the final round of the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella was held in the world-renowned Lincoln Center in New York City.  The six competing groups put on a stunning show, with Mouth Off’s own Dave Brown hosting the show as emcee, and our very own Christopher Diaz among the elite judging panel. We’ve heard from dozens and dozens of you that you wish you could’ve been there.  We wish you could’ve been there too! Lincoln Center policies prevented any live audio recording last night, but today we bring you the next best thing: an all-star elite aca-panel, sharing their experiences in the audience last night, plus professional tips on what it takes to win this competition. Join us for this special episode, featuring insights and jokes and hugs from three certified Varsity Vocals judges: NYC CASA Ambassador Nick Fox, the voice of Mouth Off Alli Brooks, and SingStrong executive producer and Blue Jupiter professional singer Jonathan Minkoff.  One of our favorite episodes yet.

ICCA Finals Preview The boys are peeing their pants with excitement for next week’s big Lincoln Center all-star collegiate acasmackdown.  To satisfy their ICCA Finals aca thirst, they take a quick survey of each of the regional champions in today’s special episode. Monster Mash Christopher, a.k.a. Mr. Muse, points out that on their most recent album City in Stereo, ICCA Mid-Atlantic Champions the SUNY-Buffalo Buffalo Chips cleverly mash together “Time is Running Out” and “Hysteria” into a nice side-by-side track they call “Time is Hysteria.” My New Girlfriend Dave is mildly obsessed with Hannah Juliano and her powerpacked solo on Beyonce’s “Halo,” as performed by the ICCA Northeast Champions Berklee Pitch Slapped.  Christopher, a.k.a. Mr. Can’tPickATeam, makes a move, but Dave staves him off with fellow group member Will Makar’s solo on “Got to Get You into My Life.” Music from the Future Christopher, a.k.a. Mr. Gypsy, gazes into the aca crystal ball and predicts that ICCA Midwest Champions Northwestern Purple Haze will release a fabulous new album called Feed the Sound, featuring a fantastical song “Coming Home” (orig. by acalumnus John Legend, btw).  And it might just so happen you can buy that song right now. Head2Head Dave pits ICCA West Champions (and 2008 International Champs) the USC SoCal VoCals up against collegiate all-star group The Hyannis Sound in an interpretation battle for the movie song “Falling Slowly.”  Dave calls it very narrowly for Hyannis Sound, but predicts that the VoCals won’t go down so easy at Finals next week. New segment! Hippity Hop Christopher, a.k.a. Mr. Youngin, goes “old skool” back to late 2005 (making Dave feel very old) and showcases a great hip-hop song “Don’t Lie,” as performed by ICCA South Champions the UGA Accidentals. In Your Earbuds In honor of the recently crowned (inaugural) ICCA Wild Card Champions, University of Oregon Divisi, Dave recalls their previous appearance at ICCA Finals back in 2005, when they beat Dave’s group at Semifinals.  To heal old wounds from this group he adores, Dave reminisces over their delightful version of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” from their debut album Red Hot. Special Guest Interview In preparation for next weekend’s big event in NYC’s famed Lincoln Center, Dave chats with Varsity Vocals owner and executive director, Amanda Newman (Chicago accent and all).  She shares a bit of the history of the competition; explains the new wild card round; and clears up misconceptions about choreography, the west region domination, the supposed one-year hiatus for winning groups, and more.  After Amanda shares the names of all the Finals judges, Dave tries to elicit her “picks” for next week. Note: As of the time of this writing, tickets for ICCA Finals are almost dried up.  To avoid missing out on the fun, click here and grab your seats ASAP.  Dave and Christopher will both be there to greet you and talk about nerdy aca things.

This Is Not an Instrument An astute fan email points Dave to a track he already had in his collection.  Rajaton’s (ironically titled) “We Walk in a Fog” features the greatest a cappella flugelhorn ever.  Oh, and the freaking Real Group is on this track too. Song Suggestion You’ve probably never heard of Owen Pallett, even though you love his work. Christopher shares some music from his latest album Heartland, and suggests that somebody ought to do an a cappella cover of “Lewis Takes Action.” Podcast Update Dave confesses that Mouth Off isn’t the only a cappella podcast out there.  He updates you on the latest and greatest from the Acapodcast, CASA’s A Cappella Originals, and American A cappella. acaTube Since YouTube has played such a big role in the proliferation of a cappella, Christopher introduces a new segment dedicated purely to amazing finds on teh interwebz. The inaugural edition features Firedrill! and Christopher yearning to BE Victor Sandman. Album Review After 17 years of chill jazz, the Boston-based Wicked Pitches have finally released their debut album!  It’s as refreshing as a jar of your grandmother’s homemade jam.

CARA Wrap-Up Episode Around the Horn Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir will melt your mind, Jimmy Fallon does it Rockapella style, Fallon’s poll for punniest name, SpringSing 2010 charity a cappella festival is coming up soon!, ICCA and ICHSA Finals around the corner, Six13 is giving away a secret free track, The Swingle Singers are auditioning a new tenor, THREE year old beatboxer, AcaPolitics has a new chapter, Everyday Looper for the iPhone, 2010 CARA winners are out! CARA Review In honor of this week’s announcement naming the 2010 Contemporary A cappella Recording Award winners, Dave & Christopher take a whole episode to review the list of winners (and lament some of the losers!).  They don’t agree about every award, but one thing is clear: 2009 was a tremendous year for a cappella, and every nominee is worth a listen.

CARA Preview Episode In honor of the upcoming announcement of the CARA 2010 Winners (on casa.org on April 1), Dave and Christopher share some lesser known groups and singers from this year’s list of nominees.  Then CARA co-director Julia Hoffman drops by for a laughter-filled visit. High School Focus Austin Willacy’s Bay Area supergroup ‘Til Dawn put in superhuman hours. All that hard work pays off in honors, awards, and sick talent. Cool Chord of the Week Christopher honors the ultimate cool-chorders, the barbershoppers.  ’Round Midnight is a CARA-nominated group that knows how to ring out those chords! This is Not an Instrument Praisacapella All That Jazz In the Basement Around the World Dave knocks out several segments at once with the Latino gospel jazzy religious men of Undivided. My New Girlfriend Christopher is so in love with UMD Faux Paz’s Amanda Jabes. Special Guest CASA president and CARA co-director and all around delightful acababe Julia Hoffman stops by for a visit. She shares some insights on how the CARA nomination and judging process works, chats up some of her favorites, and spills the beans by ANNOUNCING SOME AWARD WINNERS before the April 1 official posting goes up!  You heard it here first!

Head2Head Christopher pits Cluster‘s edgy, thumpy, icy arrangement of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” against Sonos‘ moody, dark, and ethereal version.  Can he possibly pick a winner between two of his favorite groups? Young & Original Dave loves Brandeis Voicemale‘s original tune “Time (Bring It On)” almost as much as the CARA nominators and Sing Six selection committee. Sexypella After listening to Rilton’s Vänner‘s “Schack Matt,” Christopher says, “You think you know sexy?  You have no idea.” Listener Mailbag You call, you click, you type, you make your voice heard.  This week, the boys respond to messages about reviews, segments, missing clips, new boyfriends, and more sultry topics. Album Review The le-gen-DAA-RRYYY Swingle Singers‘ latest CARA-nominated release Ferris Wheels feels like a dream.  Arrangers of the world: this is your jam.