Butler Out of the Dawghouse
Out of the Dawghouse is an outstanding all-male a cappella group out of Butler University. Members of the group took the time to answer questions from A Cappella Blog co-founder Mike Chin.
A Cappella Blog(ACB): How would you describe your recently released CD, On Track? What can listeners expect from it?
Out of the Dawghouse (OOTD): We wanted to record this CD for fun. We worked to make the money for it, then headed to the studio. It was very laid back and relaxed. We had a lot of fun in the studio. We recorded songs we loved to sing. Listeners can expect to hear entertaining songs and a group that loves to sing them.
ACB: Last spring, Out of the Dawghouse went on tour, traveling to Boston, New York and Philadelphia. What were the highlights of this trip? Where did the group do?
OOTD: Originally the trip was to go and sing at a number of different venues. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prohibited us from singing at those events. The trip turned into all of us hanging out and randomly singing on the street in the cities we visited. We also visited with some of the guys' friends who lived out there. It was a really great opportunity for all of us to spend time together and hang out, outside rehearsal time.
ACB: As an all-male group, what advantages do you enjoy? What challenges does the nature of the group present?
OOTD: One of the obvious advantages would be we can be a little more... umm... politically-incorrect when joking around at rehearsal. However, when you get a group of guys together, heads do butt. We have our share of arguments and drama, just like every other group. But we always get over it and move on.
ACB: What is the audition process like for Out of the Dawghouse?
OOTD: The audition process is a lot of fun if you're in the group. We come up with a questionnaire to give the guys that are trying out. The first few questions deal with relevant things, such as musical experience, voice part, scheduling, etc. But a lot of it is just for entertainment. We have had questions such as "What would you do if you were invisible for a day?" We put these kinds of questions on to get a feel for the guys' personalities, to see if they'll mesh with ours. It's very important that we all get along. After the questionnaire, we ask the guys to sing a song they have prepared for us. It doesn't matter what it is. We've heard songs ranging from Italian Arias, to show tunes, to John Mayer.
ACB: What would you say is the most important element to having a successful collegiate a cappella group?
OOTD: Definitely having fun. We got into a rut recently where we were just not having fun, rehearsals were unmotivated. Not much got done. Once we relaxed, started having fun, and stopped stressing so much, we really came together and started making some good music.
If you would like to learn more about Out of the Dawghouse you can visit the group online at http://www.outofthedawghouse.com.