Miranda gives Pentatonix some pointers.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Pentatonix - An Introduction
If you are a fan of a capella music like I am, than at some point you may have heard of or watched a show called The Sing Off. NBC's attempt to get a slice of the musical reality show market resulted in a successful three year tv program that featured many musicians from various walks of life. The unique flare that The Sing Off had though, was that it required all of its contestants to sing a capella. With no instrumentation to back them up, the performers had to provide their own percussion, sound effects, and still produce an awesome vocal track to steal the show. Oh, and they had to do it all live.
Throughout its three seasons, The Sing Off introduced many vocal groups to mainstream media. From barbershop to collegiate ensembles, single gender groups to mixed, young to old, and a mix of all music genres, NBC's hit show gave us many moments of musical genius. But in my opinion, the best thing that The Sing Off ever produced, was a wonderful group known as Pentatonix.
There is more I want to say about this wonderful group. But before I continue, I would really like for you to enjoy one of their cover songs. This is one of my favorites.
Nuff said.
Pentatonix is comprised of five people, each with their own fantastic talents. Scott Hoying is the blond bad-ass that you saw at the beginning of that song. Strictly from observance, Scott is the lead tenor of the group. In their YouTube interview Scott Hoying explains that he was out to lunch with a former contestant of The Sing Off when he admitted his desire to try out for the show. His friend, Rachel, who had performed with The Backbeats told him to try out with the trio he sang in during High School. Scott called his friend Kirstie Maldonado and Mitch Grassi to see if they wanted to try out with him. This however was going to be a struggle due to the fact that Kirstie and Mitch were in different parts of the country at the time. Getting the group back together would be hard. Not only that, but in order for Scott, Kirstie, and Mitch to try out, they needed to add two more members to their group in order to meet the show,s minimum requirements.
But the group still needed one final member. And to complete their aca-awesome sound, they contacted a beat-boxing, cello playing genius. The fifth and final member of what would become Pentatonix was Kevin Olusola.
Obviously Kevin was forced to ditch the Cello, but it was hardly missed as he went on to provide a maddening beatbox/percussionist that has define Pentatonix as not just another gimmicky a capella cover band, but as a force to be reckoned with.
All of these awesome voices, by their power combined, brought forth on NBC's The Sing Off, a new kind of a capella music that brings glory to the human voice and shames the studio produced pop entertainment industry. Check out their first performance on The Sing Off.
I hate ET. Katy Perry, is only slightly bearable. And yet, Pentatonix took this song and made it one of my favorites. The insanity doesn't end there though, as they later brought some dubstep to the stage, taking a risk that paid off in the end.
They have also recorded many videos that have gone on to be hits. You can check them out at their YouTube channel, PTXofficial. I'll leave you for now with one of their recent professional recordings which I have come to love. This is Pentatonix, Swedish House Mafia cover of Save the World/Don't Worry Child.
Cheers,
Doug
Throughout its three seasons, The Sing Off introduced many vocal groups to mainstream media. From barbershop to collegiate ensembles, single gender groups to mixed, young to old, and a mix of all music genres, NBC's hit show gave us many moments of musical genius. But in my opinion, the best thing that The Sing Off ever produced, was a wonderful group known as Pentatonix.
There is more I want to say about this wonderful group. But before I continue, I would really like for you to enjoy one of their cover songs. This is one of my favorites.
Nuff said.
Pentatonix is comprised of five people, each with their own fantastic talents. Scott Hoying is the blond bad-ass that you saw at the beginning of that song. Strictly from observance, Scott is the lead tenor of the group. In their YouTube interview Scott Hoying explains that he was out to lunch with a former contestant of The Sing Off when he admitted his desire to try out for the show. His friend, Rachel, who had performed with The Backbeats told him to try out with the trio he sang in during High School. Scott called his friend Kirstie Maldonado and Mitch Grassi to see if they wanted to try out with him. This however was going to be a struggle due to the fact that Kirstie and Mitch were in different parts of the country at the time. Getting the group back together would be hard. Not only that, but in order for Scott, Kirstie, and Mitch to try out, they needed to add two more members to their group in order to meet the show,s minimum requirements.
Enter the bass. Avi Kaplan got an email from Scott asking if he wanted to join the group. Avi wasn't quite sure who Scott was until Scott sent him a Youtube video of their singing. Avi immediately remembered watching this video six months prior and didn't need any further convincing to join Pentatonix.
But the group still needed one final member. And to complete their aca-awesome sound, they contacted a beat-boxing, cello playing genius. The fifth and final member of what would become Pentatonix was Kevin Olusola.
Obviously Kevin was forced to ditch the Cello, but it was hardly missed as he went on to provide a maddening beatbox/percussionist that has define Pentatonix as not just another gimmicky a capella cover band, but as a force to be reckoned with.
All of these awesome voices, by their power combined, brought forth on NBC's The Sing Off, a new kind of a capella music that brings glory to the human voice and shames the studio produced pop entertainment industry. Check out their first performance on The Sing Off.
I hate ET. Katy Perry, is only slightly bearable. And yet, Pentatonix took this song and made it one of my favorites. The insanity doesn't end there though, as they later brought some dubstep to the stage, taking a risk that paid off in the end.
Pentatonix went on to win The Sing Off and in so doing launched a career that even in its infancy is gaining a lot of steam. Check out all of their Sing Off performances here. The story does not end here though. Pentatonix has recorded their own EP and has gone on to tour in 2012/2013. Sadly I missed them when they came to town. Guys, please come back to Portland, Oregon when you get the chance!
They have also recorded many videos that have gone on to be hits. You can check them out at their YouTube channel, PTXofficial. I'll leave you for now with one of their recent professional recordings which I have come to love. This is Pentatonix, Swedish House Mafia cover of Save the World/Don't Worry Child.
Cheers,
Doug
An Introduction
Hello, fellow citizens of the internet. I'd like to welcome you to Aca-Awesome. Here, I will be highlighting different artists who are popularizing the marvelous form of music we all know as A Capellla. If you are looking for good/entertaining musicians and would like to expedite your search, keep your eye on this blog as I will be running a continual press of articles to show who is hot in the world of aca-entertainment.
Cheers,
Doug
Cheers,
Doug
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)