Today is a special day, not only because we made it pass being the
bottom two, but because I am finally releasing my second demo. Here it is, Care
Free! This one is a little accessible/poppy than Hold Your Ground, hope you enjoy.
This one was really fun to record, I’ve only ever written for guitar and covals. This time I borrowed a conga from the guys at Kwik Trax (my african drum is a more of a bass drum), and started laying down some rhythms.
On another note, I’m really excited for tonight’s episode. I think
it might be favorite night. Being in the bottom two really lit a fire under our
butts to put out something so creative, moving, inspiring…I could go on and
on. The lesson is watch tonight and get ready to be blown away, cuz we were!
Hip Hop week on The Sing-Off. We are in the middle of lesson learning.
As the Hip Hop group we’d like to represent our genre well. The name of this game is representing those who got you here. So in the process of choosing our songs, we’ve narrowed things down to a couple of options: either perform something from one of the top current artists or something from an icon.
The genre took off when East Coast and West Coast had their representatives (Pac and Big) hit the mainstream and develop followings that not only supported their reps, but fiercely opposed the other coast’s rep. It comes down to this–perhaps the most important part of successful music: “We need a little controversy” (thank you Eminem for the line). When there is rivalry, opposition, and something respectable for people NOT to like, the energy grows as does the fan-base. Biggie represented the East Coast while a strong contingent of West Coast artists had developed. Without the two artists, Hip Hop would not be where it is today. As we try to push hip hop into vocal music, what better way to honor the National competitiveness than in a competition like this one.
We chose to go with Love, iconic hip hop song from Tupac that would translate well into a cappella and the Urban Method style. Hope you enjoy.
Update: The NBC Execs have informed us that they are looking for a more current Hip Hop song for the show. In a scramble to find a new song for this week, we turn to Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kanye. Apparently there is a Kanye song on the books for this show, J’s crew will not release the rights for a song just like Eminem (especially after a favor from his crew allowing us to do Love The Way You Lie). So we will be performing a song from the current charts and adding our hip hop style and some UM flair.
The Lesson Learned? To fully understand and perform Hip Hop, you must get to the roots of what it is. The reason many people rap is that their message feels more expressed to them in words rather than song. The fact that you can focus on saying what you need to say rather than condensing and compressing that into words is the root of Hip Hop. The genre is very much about a confident stand for what you believe, and the drum and bass emphasis is crucial to delivering that message. Now, people are mixing song and rap, R&B and Hip Hop, Pop and Emcees…let’s explore that corner.
I almost passed out today towards the end of my work out. It is not just enough to drink a protein shake after working out. Health Tip #18: Water is not enough. Drink/Eat some protein and carbs before and during a work out. It is good for healing muscles and preventing fatigue.
Every year for the past 25, the Harmony Sweepstakes has crowned a champion. I have had the distinct pleasure of competing, losing, winning, losing again, winning it all, being judged by judges, being judged by peers, and learning.
I have seen young groups win and lose and old groups win and lose.
I have seen traditions succeed over novelty and I have seen innovation transcend time.
Most of all, I have seen a transition. “Just Friends,” the first group listed as Harmony Sweepstakes champions in 1985, the year after I was born and started working on my snares, sang jazz standards and originals. Roll a ’6′ and move forward as many years to when North Shore (yes, that North Shore) won in 1991. Scrolling the list of annual champs since then, North Shore marked the point of inflection when Doo-Wop/Jazz began to phase into Jazz/Contemporary vocals. The outliers are barbershop groups and comedy groups that either touch on perfection or sublime genius (by design or happenstance) to outshine trends.
All of these groups have in common the en masse closer “Goodnight Sweetheart,” flawlessly performed by the very North Shore of 1991. After years of stumbling through 80-person cluster chords to end a night of judged singing, North Shore’s swan song of 5 voices marked (for me) a departure of an era of a cappella through the Sing Off Vomitory, stage-left.
While we all seemed to miss the endearing personalities of NS, mourn the loss of polished professional stalwarts, and sympathize with the departure of a working model (not Guy, the group itself), NS took the term “A Cappella” with them (and everything that goes with it), perhaps for good. A cappella, despite the efforts of myself and friends and colleagues to define it as an instrumentation, is very much a genre. North Shore is that genre, and everything that is good about it.
Is Urban Method a cappella? What about Pentatonix? Vocal Point? Even Afro-Blue seems to defy the veil and gown of A cappella as representatives of the pre-neo-a cappella era. To be more clear, I’ve created a timeline (with a NON-EXHAUSTIVE list of examples):
20 BCE – Jewish Chant *
15C. – Renaissance Polyphony **
16C. – Palestrina, cantata, and madrigal ***
1873 – Glee Clubs (See: The Rensselyrics) *
1906 – Choir (See: St. Olaf College) **
1938 – Barbershop (See: African American tradition) ***
1950 – A Cappella (see: Hi-Los and The 4 Freshmen) *
1980 – Vocal Jazz Era (Post A cappella. See: Manhattan Transfer) **
1985 – Neo-A Cappella (See: North Shore) ***
1991 – Pop Vocals (See: Boy bands, Boyz ii Men, Take 6) *
1996 – Contemporary A Cappella (Anti-A Cappella. See: m-pact, Naturally 7) **
2003 – Vocal Reconciliation (See: Idea of North, Groove For Thought, Committed) ***
2007 – Indie Vocal (See: Imogen Heap, Moira Smiley and VOCO, T-Pain) *
Present – Vocal Renaissance (See: Sing Off) **
[* = Thesis; ** = Antithesis; *** = Synthesis]
Yes, I believe we are in an entirely experimental, antithetic, and perhaps soon sythetic period for vocal music where equipment is now affordable, experimentation is necessary, and novelty is diluted if not despised. Competition is high to make new sounds (see: bazillion beatbox videos) and tradition carries little weight anymore (see: episode 5).
So I bid you a sincere adieu North Shore. I have had the distinct pleasure of crossing paths with you numerous times in a cappella and have the utmost respect for you. You are “A Cappella” as we have come to know it and it now becomes striking to me that the phrase “a cappella” is rarely heard in the show.
“At this juncture on the Sing-Off we’ve been living in a hotel for 5 weeks. It’s been an interesting experience to say the least. When all of these corridors begin to blend together and harbor your emotions, you begin to disconnect from the outside world and lose touch with aspects of your life that were once important. If these walls could talk…During these five week I have been so focused on The Sing-Off that I haven’t been able to write any of my own music. The pressure of the competition hasn’t allowed me to channel any energy into anything but living and breathing The Sing-Off. Until now…”
I wrote this song during my time in the hotel that I called home during my Sing-Off experience. It’s a hip-hop song that documents the nostalgia and unease I begin to feel living in a hotel. These emotions are manifested through a past and current (or what was current) relationship. When I write songs I give you my life and experiences through a very honest and raw scope. This is Hotel Confessions. Enjoy.
When it comes to a cappella and vocal music, I’m really fascinated by using pedals and effects to morph, delay, or change the voice. One of the reasons that I’m such a big fan of Sonos is because they use their effects so well and are able to build amazing atmosphere with their pedals. Some people argue that a cappella music shouldn’t use external effects, but I think that’s crazy! It’s just like saying that only acoustic guitar is “real” guitar, because electric guitars can use pedals.
I am so excited this week because I just ordered a new toy called the AKAI APC40. It’s a midi controller that can trigger effects and do all sorts of crazy things when it’s paired with a program I use called Ableton. It’s going to be so much fun to play with!
Richard and I are planning a little experiment to showcase just how far it’s possible to stretch a cappella music, using a combination of pedals and my new APC. Stay tuned! I can’t wait to see what happens…
Now, Vocal Bass!
In the last blog, I went over the tricky essentials of mixing vocal percussion. Now, how to build the ultimate rhythm section by adding the bass vocalist. First, I send their low end to the subwoofer on an Aux send and brighten the track. Think of tracking the bass as though it were a real bass. The goal is to make the bass huge without being muddy at 100 Hz or 200 Hz through 400 Hz. Never put a high pass filter on a vocal bass. The human voice is so dynamic and even though most basses can’t sing notes down to 50 Hz, they have natural sub-harmonics that will sound and ring down there. Let it thump and be sonically low. I prefer the Shure’s Beta 58, or the Sennheiser 965 Hyper-cardoid microphone.
The key to mixing bass is not the sub-low end of the spectrum. Sure, they must have a low and large presence; but, it’s actually the low mids and highs that define the performance. I EQ out frequencies that create a muddy mix. 100 Hz is a culprit to many bad mixes since it takes over so much sonic room and covers the rest of the group. Also, I take out 200-300 Hz to clear up the mud of the mix. Then I brighten 4.0 Khz and 12Khz and above to create the perception of the bass cutting through the mix. Vocal basses don’t have strings to pluck, so you have to provide the EQ to overcome that. With your bass mic being routed through the subs via an Aux, you are in a win/win situation.
Watch for the next sound for A Cappella installment, effects!
Tony (Urban Method)
I had an ex-boyfriend who would balk at the idea of paying to go see live music. He would always ask me, “Why do you pay all that money to go see it live when you can just listen to the CD?” Unfortunately, his question is a common one. While my rebuttals fell on the deaf ears of someone who didn’t really care for music at all, I continue to promote the benefits of seeing live music.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Prince live in concert, and it was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Honestly. No CD or music video can capture that man’s energy, musicianship, and heart. I was blown away at how he reinvented his songs, and earnestly performed. He made me laugh, he made me weep, he made me get out of my seat and shake my booty until I was exhausted! I felt everything he did in every vein of my body. And he can play any instrument and totally kill it. Seriously! On the drums, on the keyboard, on the guitar, on the bass, Prince is a beast! Don’t get me wrong, I get quite excited hearing his music coming through my stereo, but it can’t even compare to hearing it live. And that’s the difference. In an age where overproduced, digitized music is the norm, seeing and hearing your favorite artist gives you a real idea of what they can do, and why they make music in the first place. So go out there, support your local musicians, support visiting musicians, and just experience music live. There’s really nothing like it.
Singing: It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t of left you… With out a dope beat to step to…. step to step to…..step to…. to step to…. step to… step to…. ficky ficky…
So it really has been a long time and after a FIRE of an a cappellaSing-Off episode last night I had to say Congratulations to all of the groups that were able to advance. We look forward to seeing all of you next week. Now to why we are here. Being a bass singer I am asked how do you get that great low end sound? Well let me share a little bass knowledge with all of you low end singers.
The Best Microphone For Basses and Vocal Percussionists!
Step 1: Relax; believe it or not, working on your low end is just like working on your high end when it comes to singing. You have to learn to relax and not push the lower you go. At first you will not have the volume you desire, but after a little while you will be a bass dynamo!! So Relax!!!
Step 2: Get a great microphone!! I swear by the Rode NT3 Microphone! It wil change your bass singing life! I am not endorsed by Rode but if anyone from that company wants to send me a couple of NT3 Microphones I would not complain…. waiting… waiting…. no takers? Oh well. Hey still go out and get that microphone. IT ROCKS!!!
That’s all for now see you all in a week!
Love,
T-Ho
Troy Horne – Bass Singer/Song Writer/ All Around People Person.
