URBAN METHOD

At first, I read the news that The Sing Off was cancelled and didn’t think much of it.  TV shows come and go these days like Congressmen, Styles of Jeans, and Pop Stars.  Then I got to thinking…  I was on that show with amazing musicians, and more importantly, amazing people as the contestants.  Then it started to sink in and the reality (no pun intended) of the situation started to hit home.

I had to step back from being on The Sing Off and the opportunity given to Urban Method by the shows executive  producers, Sam, Debbie, Josh and  Joel.  I realized that the show was so much more to me than the excitement and success of Urban Method and being on national TV.

Here’s where I get emotional…  (just a warning)

As soon as the show aired, I found that the show had an immense effect on young people all over the country.  I travel quite a bit mixing a cappella shows for Take 6 and every time I would walk into a concert hall, a young person would call out to me, “Tony from Urban Method”!  In talking to each and every one, I found that they were inspired by the show in so many ways.  By the competition.  By the characters in each group.  By the personal stories told on the show.  By the music, being so raw and from the heart.  By the diversity of the groups and individual members.  By the family friendly language and content.  By the hard work that it took to do each episode.  And by the talent that would come across their television every Monday night for 2 hours.  (Now I’m totally choked up) 

Not only were they inspired by our performances, I was inspired by their obvious new drive toward music and life.  I think the contestants were pushed to succeed as a group, conquer fears, and work hard to a goal, and that came across loud and clear to everyone watching the show.  We made it through each week with pure passion for music and life.  Now to meet these children and young adults that looked up to us, makes me realize that the show is much more than what it seems to the NBC Executives that pulled the plug.  I bet if they look back at television shows that were legendary, they would find that most of them started off with lower ratings.  But the best shows of all time became legendary because they showed heart (I’m reminded of *M*A*S*H* here).  The Sing Off showed heart and I see it every time I talk to a student, or child, or fan about it.  They have passion for the show that goes beyond the ratings.  It affected people to change.

The Sing Off wasn’t just a reality show that showcased talent, it inspired people to chase their dreams no matter who they are and where they are from.  That’s what good entertainment and good TV should be.  I know the Executive Producers of the show would agree, it was incredibly inspiring.  I’m sure they wanted the show renewed.  NBC Execs did not.  My hope is that the show will be bought out by a new network and land on your TV again soon.

Make sure to go and sign the petition to show your support of television like The Sing Off.  Also, read with the judges have to say.

As I tell the students at the schools I’ve visited…

“If you have a dream in life, chase it because you love it and never stop.  Your dream will soon become your reality and your future!”

Tony Huerta

Urban Method and Sonic Audio

Come join Urban Method as they perform live for the Sound of the Rockies CD release concert.

Hosted by the Sound of the Rockies.  This will be an amazing vocal concert.  Don’t miss it!

Related show

• Artist: Urban Method
• Date: Saturday, June 16th 2012
• Time: 7:00pm
• City: Urban Method in Denver, CO
• Venue: Newman Center
• Address: 2344 E Illiff Avenue
• Venue phone: 303-993-3501
• Country: United States
• Admission: $18-$28
• Box office: 303.871.7720
• Notes: Catch Urban Method in concert at the University of Denver Newman Center!
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Here is Urban Method’s first music video, Me & You.  Written by UM’s very own, Liz Ager.  Check it out and share it with everyone you know!

Recorded February 25, 2012 LIVE ar the Paramount Theater in Denver, Colorado.  Audio by Sonic Audio and Video by ZumiProductions

A quick thanks to all of those who helped us pack the house at the Paramount Theater last night in Denver. We had a chance to unveil an original song, some cool new tricks, and rock the songs you came to love from the show. Make sure you tag yourself on the Facebook pic Tony took on stage!

So what’s next?

Now it’s time to put it all together. We’re going to hit the studio and write. That’s right, original music. We’ll be putting music videos together, creating new and exciting content, and building OUR show. The plan is to have that done by summer time (2012) and then hit the road.

Until then…

thank you so much. Our friends, our family, and our newest supporters….we couldn’t do this without you!

Much love.

UM

How’d you like it?! We made the top 3 and now we need your votes. You can help us become the champions of The Sing-Off. The show is in it’s 3rd season and we’ve seen Nota and Committed win it all. Now, vote for Urban Method in 3 ways…

TEXT “2″ to 97979

PHONE 877-674-6402

ONLINE http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/vote/

Check out All of the Lights from Kanye West here.

We’ll soon post the Mashup from Earworm featuring Peggy Lee’s Fever and Nelly’s Hot in Here!

Check out the vocal sound effect video! Here, Richard Steighner from Urban Method demos the sound effects he has used on the first few episodes of the Sing-Off, NBC’s all-vocal show.

1. Crab Scratch–It’s an imitation of a record scratch using an inward breath with a shaping of the thumb and pointer finger. The result is actually a highly controllable noise that Richard used in “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rihanna to “bleep” out the swear words.
2. Vibraslap–A crazy little percussion instrument used for all kinds of reasons. Used in “Just Can’t Get Enough” by the Black Eyed Peas as a transition into the “Switch Up” part. It’s done with a tongue roll while breathing out and mouthing an “F” shape.
3. Vocal Guitar–The electric guitar sound is done by getting a buzz while mouthing an “F” shape and “W” shape at the same time. Then humming, you can get a pitched noise. It’s used in “Dance to the Music” by Sly and the Family Stone during the solo sections.
4. Shuffle–A fast snare pattern used for the intro of “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe. The pattern is “pf, pf, pt, tf, pf, pt, tf, pt, tf, psh” for those who wanna give it a shot!
5. The Cricket–I’ll keep it a secret for now; if you can do it, post a video and I’ll spread it around!

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.

Current Hip Hop Moguls: (alphabetically): Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West

Hip Hop Icons (alphabetically): Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur

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.

For your eternal enjoyment:

A shout out.

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.

Sincerest regards,

Richard

Urban Method

Urban Method reacts to the 4th episode of the SingOff in the video but here’s a quick recap. This was the 2nd bracket singing their 60s songs and their radio top 40s. With the Deltones, Sonos, Pentatonix, Dartmouth Aires, North Shore, and The Collective all performing, it made for a great night of music.

This week judges called the number of Sonos, the well-accomplished and well-revered group of innovative song makers. Their style has truly inspired the a cappella world and their departure from the show is both a surprise and to many a disappointment. Their performances on the show seemed to have made noted improvements over their first showing and they revealed their hit remake of The Jackson 5′s “I Want You Back” to which the judges responded quite negatively.

Their version of the song has been the catalyst for many new things in a cappella over the last few years since it’s release. Their new album is anticipated and their ability to use effects and pedals will be a welcome return to their style for both the audience and most likely the group itself.

Next week will be the convergence of all 10 remaining groups as we look forward to a week of Guilty Pleasure songs! Stay tuned for what Urban Method has in store!