Interviews

ACB Interview: The Mount Holyoke M&Cs

By Mike Chin on May 25, 2009 in Interviews

The M&Cs are an all-female group out of Mount Holyoke College. M&Cs Business Manager Katie Logwood took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): What can listeners expect from The M&Cs most recent CD, Soundbites?

Katie Logwood (KL): We're all very proud of our latest CD, Soundbites, particularly since all of the arrangements are our own. It really does justice to the diversity of our repertoire, with songs ranging from "The House that Jack Built" by Aretha Franklin to Eve 6's "Inside Out" and Don Henley's "Boys of Summer." The CD features strong solos by nearly every member of the group, on top of well-blended, tight backgrounds. It's really just a fun mix of songs with something for everyone.

ACB Interview: UC Santa Cruz Cloud 9

By Mike Chin on May 18, 2009 in Interviews

Cloud 9 is a mixed group out of the University of California at Santa Cruz. The group’s leader, Ian de Borja, took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): As a mixed group, what advantages do you enjoy? What challenges does the nature of the group present?

Ian de Borja (ID): The best (and most obvious) advantage to being a mixed group is the wider range of songs we can choose to sing. We are never confined to strictly male or female solo songs (not that that stops a lot of single sex groups) but it helps being mixed. The biggest disadvantage in my opinion would be that blending can get difficult between the males and females of Cloud 9. Also, things get ugly when the boys don't let the girls in our special treehouse because they don't know the password.

ACB Interview: The Skidmore Sonneteers

By Mike Chin on May 11, 2009 in Interviews

The Sonneteers are an all-female group out of Skidmore College. Lindsay Thomas from the group took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB)Are there any unique traditions or pieces of history attached to your group?

Lindsay Thomas (LT): The Sonneteers were formed in 1947, making us the oldest group on Skidmore campus. And since our world revolves around singing, I think it´s only appropriate that our longest tradition is a song, called “Every Time We Say Goodbye.” Every year we sing it to our graduating seniors as they depart off into the real world.

ACB Interview: Mike Jankowski

By Mike Chin on May 4, 2009 in Interviews

Mike Jankowski is not only a veteran member of The Buffalo Chips, but also runs A Cappella Hosting, a company that hosts websites for a number of a cappella groups. Jankowki took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): Your company, A Cappella Hosting , offers web hosting services a number of collegiate a cappella groups. What has been like to work with these groups? What have you learned along the way? What do you have to offer groups that might be different from other hosting companies?

ACB Interview: The William and Mary Cleftomaniacs

By Mike Chin on April 27, 2009 in Interviews

The Cleftomaniacs are a mixed group out of William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA. Claire Frederiksen, a member of the group, took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): If you were to describe The Cleftomaniacs in just three words, what words would you use?

Claire Frederiksen: Spunky, outgoing, creative.

ACB: What can listeners expect from The Cleftomaniacs' most recent CD, Button Up?

CF: A little bit of everything--oldies but goodies, classics, and new age pop, in addition to a little bit of William and Mary tradition.

ACB Interview: The Oxford Gargoyles

By Mike Chin on April 20, 2009 in Interviews

Programming note: The ACB was well represented at the ICCA and ICHSA Finals in New York this Saturday. It was a fantastic show, and we plan to have our full event review posted Wednesday morning.

Daniel Thompson is the musical director of The Oxford Gargoyles, an all-male group that participated in the 2007 ICCA Finals, coming out of the Western Europe Region. Thompson took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): The Gargoyles performed this summer at the Fringe Festival. For the uninitiated, what is the festival like? How would you describe this performing experience?

Daniel Thompson (DT): The festival is an amazing experience, and not just because of the performing. I mean, we did one 45 minute performance a day for 9 days in a theatre which seated 160, but performances like that aren't necessarily new to a collegiate a cappella group. What is new and exciting is the daily busking out on the Royal Mile to advertise your show, sometimes competing against drumming groups, street performers and indeed other a cappella groups for would-be punters' attention.

ACB Interview: Deke Sharon

By Mike Chin on March 30, 2009 in Interviews

Programming note: Unfortunately, for the first time in The ACB's history, we will not be offering a review of the Mid-Atlantic Semifinals this year. Mike Chin was going to cover the show, but caught an insane amount of traffic on his drive to New Jersey, and could not make it to Rutgers in time for the show. We welcome readers to write in with their thoughts on this semifinal. Otherwise, the next ACB event review will be for the 2009 ICCA Finals.

Deke Sharon is the founder of the Contemporary A Cappella Society, a past director of the Tufts Beelzebubs, and a co-founder of BOCA, the ICCA tournament and a successful professional group, The House Jacks. Sharon took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB) You are among the best-known figures in contemporary a cappella. How is it that you first became involved with a cappella music? What drew you to it?

Deke Sharon (DS): First of all, thanks for the invitation to be interviewed, and the implication that I'm one of the best known figures in a cappella, especially when fame is such a commodity within American culture.
Alas, I think I'm essentially unknown outside of the inner circles of a cappella and choral music (as opposed to, say, Bobby McFerrin), but it's nice to imagine that my fifteen minutes of fame have already started.

Answering a question about my first involvement is difficult because I started singing in church choir at age 5, and in the San Francisco Boys Chorus at age 7 (which was the youngest you could be in both cases back when I was a kid), as it seems so long ago. Undoubtedly both had a strong impact on me, as I've always considered myself a singer, and music my first love.

ACB Interview: The Rice University Philharmonics

By Mike Chin on March 16, 2009 in Interviews

Programming note: Later this week, we will have full event reviews from the ICCA Midwest and South Semifinals.

The Philharmonics are a top-notch mixed group out of Rice University in Houston, TX. Philharmonics President Allie Janda took the time to answer questions from The A Cappella Blog.

The A Cappella Blog (ACB): What can listeners expect from The Philharmonics' most recent CD, Phils So Good?

Allie Janda (AJ): As one RARB reviewer said, Phils So Good actually does!? The CD has a number of upbeat songs that get you moving, and we believe our interpretation of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek," among other songs, shows off our excellent tuning and awesome arrangements. Phils So Good goes in a different direction from our previous albums, employing studio effects such as added bass and filters on Britney Spears' "Toxic" and Fall Out Boy's "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs," to name a few. All in all, Phils So Good is the Philharmonics? most inventive CD to date and looks to be the start of a series of new and exciting albums from our group.

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