Top Notch Performances Mark 30th Annual Harmony Sweepstakes

2014 HARMONY SWEEPSTAKES NATIONAL FINALS – May 17^th 2014

The fact that the Harmony Sweepstakes was celebrating its 30^th anniversary, you knew that the evening would be special.  What few knew is that this year’s competition would not only be special, but it would be a scintillating show that would bring the crowd to its feet on more than one occasion.  On the way out of the auditorium, I heard one veteran Sweeps watcher state, “That is the best nationals in quite some time.”

On a typically brisk San Rafael evening, a sold out crowd of nearly 2,000 a cappella enthusiasts packed the Marin Veterans Auditorium to witness the national finals of the influential singing contest that has been the launching pad for such groups as M-Pact, Groove for Thought and Sing-Off kings Home Free.  At 8:00pm sharp, the lights dimmed and the stage spotlight focused directly on center stage where three microphones stood.  Then the public address announcer stated:

“Please welcome the 2013 Harmony Sweepstakes national Champions.  The Honey Whiskey Trio.”

The Los Angeles-based group consisting of Courtney Gasque, Ann Louise Thaiss and Christina Wilson who would serve as hosts this evening walked onto stage wearing comfortable looking yet fashionable dresses and their now trademark boots.  Appropriately, they opened the show with These Boots are Made for Walking in their unique foot-stomping style.

Tonight’s Mistress of Ceremonies is veteran singer Angie Doctor.  She was stunning in her blue full-length sparkly gown (I am sure there is a technical term, but we will go with “sparkly” for the purposes of this review).  She took care of the welcomes, explanation of the rules and introduced the five individuals who had the difficult task of judging this competition.  The judges were Bill Hare, Raz Kennedy, Craig Knudsen, Stephanie Lawson and Annie Stocking.  She also took a moment to mention the passing of long-time Sweeps photographer and friend Chris Cochems.  After the brief tribute and warm applause, Angie turned to his widow Helen who was on hand and said, “I know he could hear that.”

Catatonic began the competition - Photo by AcaFanBase

Now, it was onto the competition.  Christina Wilson announced the first group, Mid-Atlantic champs Catatonic.  The Atlanta-bred sextet opened with the swinging Love Gun with the soulful Tye Tavaras singing the lead.  The set continued with Tammy Parkinson and John Robinson’s arrangement of Never Close Our Eyes.  They then transitioned into the lovely ballad Pretty Hurts with alternating lead vocals between Parkinson, Tavares and Carrie Leonard.  They closed with a rocking and rollicking rendition of Lucky Strike.  Although the ladies were front and center, the guys – John Robinson, Steve Ryan and Andrew Leonard provided great backing vocals.  A darn good opening act by Catatonic that was well received by the audience.

PNW Champs SeaNote - Photo by AcaFanBase

Next to perform was SeaNote, winners of the Pacific Northwest Region.  This group made up of friends from the University of Washington who happen to be all basses and second altos.  An odd combination but it works.  They came out with member Shaheer Aftab mimicking the sounds of radio static in search of a station, briefly stopping on the overly-covered Royals before settling on a fine arrangement of I Knew You Were Trouble.  They continued with a beautifully executed All of Me, complete with fine leads and lush harmonies.  SeaNote finished their set with Dark Horse, arranged by bassist Michael Kibbe.  The group’s vocals combined with their sunny personalities wowed the crowd.

3AM performs Thank You - Photo by AcaFanBase

The third act was – ironically - called 3AM, a gospel/R&B group out of Florida that took the Chicago regionals.  These dapper gentlemen in matching blazers introduced themselves with their original We are 3AM.  Next was a strong, rich treatment of R&B hit Thank You that had the audience tapping their toes.  3AM then took the audience to church with the gospel Have a Talk.  You could hear the distinct influence of groups like Take 6 and Naturally 7 in their sound and style.  The beautiful Bless This House was next, showcasing the group’s harmonic ability.  They closed with Pharrell Williams mega-hit Happy that got the audience to clap along.  All-in-all, a solid performance by 3AM.

Women of the World close out first half - Photo by AcaFanBase

Now taking the stage was Boston champion Women of the World.  The quartet who met at the Berklee College of Music represent four countries - Italy, Japan, India and Haiti and combine world, folk, classical and jazz.   They wore colorful, ethnic gowns that looked gorgeous under the house lights.  The group began with the jazzy and playful Walkin’ Down The Street, complete with simultaneous scat solos.  Their performance continued to elevate with their renditions of Iyo Siwelele, Kafal Sviri and the original Samba in G.  Their final songs were the beautiful Sakura Sakura, and Rhy-dhun which began slowly and then built to a marvelous vocal explosion.  When they sang their final note, the audience poured out its emotion, giving the quartet a well-deserved standing ovation.  The singers looked a bit stunned by the response as they walked off the stage, waving to the crowd.

**********INTERMISSION****************

And not a minute too soon, as an exhausted audience had to gather itself after a breathtaking first half.  As I made my way around the lobby eavesdropping as always, everyone was talking about the stunning performance by Women of the World.  “Wow,” was the most used adjective, and that is interesting as “Wow” is what the group uses as part of its twitter handle.  But all the groups got kudos and I overheard one woman say, “Whomever performs after intermission has their work cut out for them.  All the groups have been amazing.”  I bumped into SeaNote at the Honey Whiskey Trio table in the lobby and they were on top of the world, saying that this has been an incredible experience and they were having the time of their lives.

Bay Area Champs Prime Time - Photo by AcaFanBase

With intermission over, Ann Louise Thaiss of The Honey Whiskey Trio introduced the home-town favorite – Prime Time, winners of the Bay Area Regional.  If there was one thing that Prime Time seemed to be intent on accomplishing was to let everyone know that they are versatile.  The veteran group immediately brought energy to the stage as they sang the Hall & Oats classic You Make My Dreams Come True that was a whole lot of fun.  They moved onto a lovely arrangement of Mia Makaroff’s Butterfly, showcasing their musicianship.  Very innovative vocal technique was evident in their performance of Katy Perry’s Wide Awake.  As bassist John Rae-Grant explained that the group had to figure out how to sing a song and not to go over the Sweeps time limit (while he was explaining, the bamboo pole appeared signifying the one minute warning).  They concluded with a brief and comical take on Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie. Nicely done, Prime Time.  You did the Bay Area proud.

L.A.s #FOURTYFOURB - Photo by AcaFanBase

Courtney Gasque introduced Los Angeles Champions and HWT protégés #FourtyFourB.  The seven-member group who has its origins at the University of California Irvine was playful with the audience, even teaching us a UCI cheer (ZOT....ZOT....ZOT!)  They opened with a superb delivery of Adele's Rumor Has It, striking just the right balance between vocals and vocal percussion.  Next was a Stevie Wonder mashup of Isn’t She Lovely sprinkled with My Cheri Amour.  This was a nice bridge between the first and third songs and appealed to the older members of the audience.  They finished with a smooth as silk rendering of John Legend’s Heaven that had heads bobbing throughout the audience.  Besides their obvious talent, #FourtyFourB has an easygoing confidence about them that made them very relatable. 

Pride of the Republic of Georgia Quintessential Five

The last performers of the evening were Quintessential Five.  They were perhaps the most intriguing act in the competition.  The New York Regional Champions are from The Republic of Georgia and they are young.  And when I say young, I mean really young, falling between the ages of 13 and 17.  But on the stage, there is nothing childlike about them.  They opened with a beautiful and highly complex Georgian folk song Krimanchuli.  The group flawlessly executed its rapid-fire lyrics and the audience was immediately blown away.  The amazement continued with the jazz standard Senor Blues.  I had never heard this song vocalized before, and these kids knocked it out of the park.  And just when you thought it could not get any better, they performed an original song called Tales of War, and dedicated it to the victims in Ukraine, the home country Georgia and to the lives lost on 9/11.  The song is indescribable.  The performance was remarkable.  And the audience rose to its feet in appreciation. 

2013 Champs Honey Whiskey Trio 

The competition was compete.  Now the judges had to deliberate and the audience would get its turn to vote for its favorite.  After a brief 15 minute break for the voting, everyone settled back into their seats and The Honey Whiskey Trio took the stage for the final time as national champions.  They performed songs from their just release LP Honey Whiskey Trio: Stories of Love, Death and Spirits, including My Love, Courtney’s gorgeous arrangement of the Everly Brothers All I have to do is Dream (which earned them their first standing ovation and the crowd’s ultimate tribute of thunderous stomping), and It’s a Sin To Tell A Lie, featuring a vocal trumpet solo by Ann Louise.  HWT did a little tribute to last year’s hosts and 2012 national champs Six Appeal by performing 500 Miles.  But Christina warned everyone, “We are out of shape, so there will be no running or jumping….”  Instead, the Honeys sang a gorgeous, almost unrecognizable version of the song that earned them their second standing O.  They closed their performance with the upbeat Wine Blues.  A third standing ovation and more stomping ensued.  The Honeys had been charming hosts.  What an incredible Harmony Sweepstakes swan song for the Honey Whiskey Trio!

Angie Doctor returned to the stage and it was time to announce the results.

Audience Favorite……WOMEN OF THE WORLD!

Huge applause as the ladies from Boston come out for the encore.  I am sorry that I don’t know the song they sang, but it was beautiful as their entire performance had been.

Angie now brought out all of the performers in show order.  Catatonic, SeaNote, 3AM, Women of the World, Prime Time, #FourtyFourB, and Quintessential Five.  They formed a semi-circle upstage and waited for Angie to announce the winners.  All of the work, audition tapes, winning of the regionals.  And it all came down to this.

Here we go……

Best Arrangement……GRAYSON VILLANUEVA FOR HEAVEN BY #FOURTYFOURB!

This is what I was hoping for and the judges in my opinion made the right choice.  Perfectly arranged for the group’s voices

Best Original Song…..BUKA KARTOZIA FOR TALES OF WAR BY QUINTESSENTIAL FIVE

No question about this. A stunningly beautiful song that although in a different language, you really got the gist of what the song was saying.

And now, the placements:

Third place goes to…………SEANOTE!

I was actually a little surprised by this selection, but pleasantly so.  They had performed beautifully and were very deserving of the placement. 

Second place goes to……………….QUINTESSENTIAL FIVE!

On one hand, I was so happy for these kids because their performance was near perfect and in this environment in front of this audience, it was an incredible feat.  On the other hand, they finished second.  Nothing to be ashamed of.  But I am sure they wanted to win.  Who doesn’t?

First place, and the 2014 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions……..WOMEN OF THE WORLD!

The four women walked to center stage with their arms around each other and took in the applause, and the standing ovation.  They were beaming, with that feeling that only a national champion can feel.  Once the applause died down, it was time for the traditional group singing of the doo-wop classic Goodnight Sweetheart.  One thing that is very unique about the Sweeps is that many in the audience are singers.  And when the crowd joins in for this song, it sounds pretty good.  People are even harmonizing!

Goodnight Sweetheart - Photo by AcaFanBase

With that, the 30^th Annual Harmony Sweepstakes is a wrap.  It was a wonderful and diverse competition, with many style and genres represented.  Oddly, for one of the few times in Sweeps history, barbershop was not represented.  But consider the night consisted of indie, pop, gospel, R&B, world music, classical, jazz and folk.  Amazing.  Congratulations to all of the participating groups for putting on a wonderful show.  A special tip of the hat to Women of the World.  For the second year in a row, an all-female group (and rather non-traditional ones at that) has taken top prize.  Enjoy the ride, Women of the World.  Well done……

And to my friend and fellow writer Stacy who could not make it this year, thanks for allowing me to fill in for you.  Until we meet again next year, I am signing off.

Glenn Wilson

Corona, CA

MUSICAL DIVERSITY FRONT AND CENTER AT BCCM ALUMNI RECITAL

Clockwise from top: Arf, Down 4 The Count, Karl?, Love4Chello

If there was one thing that could be taken away from last Sunday’s Alumni Recital at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music is that BCCM and its students cannot and will not be pigeonholed or singly defined as a type. The key words on this on this afternoon were MUSICAL DIVERSITY. On a nearly perfect afternoon at the Daniel Recital Hall on campus, six acts featuring alumni and a few current students strutted their stuff in an electric and eclectic two-hour show.

Indie-rock band Squarefish featuring singer-songwriter-guitarist Maggie Boles kicked off the recital nicely thanks in large part to the able backing of Mike Amico (bass and backup vocals), Lauren Pennington (keyboards) and Anthony Vezirian (drums). The band has an edge, but is not overpowering therefore providing an intimate relationship with the audience. Each musician blends with the other and no one gets overshadowed. Vezirian is a solid and consistent drummer that gives Squarefish a good foundation. Pennington quietly does her thing on the keyboards, providing the band with a sound that is larger than the sum of their four components. Amico is a fine bassist who does that tricky thing of playing bass and providing backup vocals. Every band member got a chance to shine and no one was overshadowed. Nevertheless, the center of attention is Boles, whose vocal style is a cross between Nelly Furtado and Joni Mitchell. This is a very good band. Check them out at www.squarefish.com or at ReverbNation.com. I especially like the songs True Romance and Plan B.

Next to the stage was Love4Cello. Seeing this quartet come on stage and setup their cellos, you would have assumed there would be a little Bach, maybe some Mozart. And, there was. But after opening their set with a beautiful classical piece, the group showed its amazing versatility when as the broke into Coldplay’s Clocks. They continued with the Beatles classics Hey Jude and Let it Be and then closed with a rousing rendition of Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance. Love4Cello showed remarkable musicianship, combining their big, lush sound with the terrific execution of their snappy arrangements. I can see this group performing at weddings or at the Hollywood Bowl. Yes, they are that versatile and yes, they are that good. Love4Cello is Lucia Cahuantzi, Chris McCarthy, Claire Mehm and Ben Coyte. Their website is www.love4cello.com

Long before a cappella became cool (BPP – Before Pitch Perfect), Down 4 The Count was wowing audiences with their smooth and jazzy vocal stylings. And like fine wine, this amazing quintet gets better with age (and that is not to say that they are old. They’ve just been doing their thing for years). Colleen Keene, Penny Watson, Christine Tavares, Jason Lingle and new bassist Gregg Haueter sound better than ever. Their set on Sunday included a swinging arrangement of Don’t Get Around Much Anymore with Tavares providing the lead vocal; the Colleen Keene original Perfect Crime and the hilarious and wonderful Can’t Get Abducted, E.T. Don’t Dig Me Blues featuring Haueter on solo. Watson’s alto and Keene’s soprano blend beautifully with Tavares’ mezzo and are supported by Haueter’s solid bass. Lingle is a superb vocal percussionist and a steady timekeeper. As good as they are as individuals, they are terrific as a group, crescendoing and decrescendoing as one (and I don’t even think those are real words much less proper English, but you get my drift). I love this group and you will too. www.down4thecount.com

Karl? Is a group that defies categorization. But there are three adjectives that I can use to describe this wonderful band. Hard-driving. Explosive. And sickly talented. Even their warm-up tune sounded cool. Consisting of singer-violinist Rebecca Lynn, lead guitarist Daniel Chavez, percussionist-vocalist Alex Mastrovito, drummer Michael Malinowski and bassist Nick Gonzalez, Karl? ripped through their four-song performance that showed aspects of many artists and genres, but sounded completely original. Karl? is probably one of those bands that lose about ten pounds per performance as they put so much energy into it. The vocal back and forth between Lynn and Mastrovito was not only a joy to listen to but a thrill to watch as they seemed to drive each other to new heights. Though the sound is hard, they never lose their musicality. Chavez lead guitar is powerful. Gonzalez keeps the bottom strong with his smooth bass line. Malinowski fine drum work is a perfect complement to Mastrovito on percussion. And then there is Lynn, whose violin work and singing are only surpassed by her wonderful stage presence. I don’t know the names of the songs they played Sunday, but check them out on SoundCloud and Facebook. Listen to the contrast between Grand Old Party and Where I Must Be.

While Karl? can be considered original, Arf featuring Genevieve Artadi can be called innovative. Singer-songwriter Artadi composes original music for Arf among her other projects (most notably with Knower and her collaboration with Louis Cole). I first saw Arf at this year’s Harmony Sweepstakes and it was great to see them perform again. Joined by some fabulous musicians in Alexandra Domingo, Jessica Freedman, Katherine Hoye, Andrea Calderwood and Sean Fitzpatrick, Arf began their set with the electronic sounds of Cupcake5. They then left the electronics behind to sing the beautiful and mesmerizing From 2 Sides (this won Best Original Song at the Harmony Sweeps this year) I think From 2 Sides is one of the coolest a cappella vocals that I have ever heard and Arf performs it so well with Genevieve on lead vocals and Sean providing excellent vocal percussion. Just about as brilliant was their next tune, the incredible Screen Images. There are no words to this composition. Arf does the entire song by humming. I cannot explain it. You just have to hear it. It is simply remarkable. They finished up with hyper-techno You Know A Place Where I Won’t Feel Dead. Check out their Facebook page. They will be playing The Elastic Hour at Curve Line Space on October 24th.

Honey Whiskey Trio closing out BCCM Alumni Recital

Closing the show was Honey Whiskey Trio. After a whirlwind year that saw them win first place and audience favorite at the Harmony Sweepstakes Nationals, HWT returned home to Cal State Long Beach for their first performance at their alma mater. Strutting onstage in their trademark boots, Courtney Gasque, Ann Louise Thaiss and Christina Wilson opened with their arrangement of Bob Dylan’s He’s Been On The Job Too Long. They continued with one of their sweetest songs to date – Courtney’s original composition If You’ll Be The One For Me, with Ann Louise on guitar and Courtney on mandolin. But it was the vocals that made this song stand out, three-part harmonies that are reminiscent of The Wailing Jennys. The toe-tapping Long Hot Summer Day was next, with all of the girls getting a chance to solo. I felt like the audience was ready to clap along with this song, but this crowd made up of mostly students did not want to detract from the performance. So they listened and enjoyed. The trio closed with one of the signature songs, Freight Train Blues. Not only do they sing this song well, but they perform it with so much style and panache that you can’t help but love it. www.honeywhiskeytrio.com

Honey Whiskey Trio encouraged students to seek out others, develop friendships and begin collaborations. All of the acts began at BCCM. There was something for everyone at this alumni recital. Indie-rock, classical, jazz, alternative, techno and folk. And to think, all of this incredible talent began and was cultivated at the music department of California State University Long Beach. Now more music and more talent is being cultivated at what is now known world-wide as the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.

2013 HARMONY SWEEPSTAKES NATIONAL FINALS



The 962-seat Marin Veterans Auditorium, site of the Harmony
Sweepstakes National Finals - Photo curtosy of The Rainbows



I know I had promised a recap of the Harmony Sweepstakes within 48 hours of our return, but it’s been a busy week and I caught a case of severe writers block.  So, this may not be all that good, but here are my recollections on the last weekend.   But first, let’s go back to April 6^th. 

My wife Nancy and I attended the Harmony Sweepstakes Los Angeles Regionals.  Among the acts performing that evening was Honey Whiskey Trio, a newly-formed group featuring Courtney Gasque, Ann Louise Thaiss and our daughter Christina Wilson.  We had not yet heard their music.  There was nothing on their Facebook page other than pictures and messages, and the website was not yet up and running.  But that night, they blew us away with their tight harmonies and stage presence.  They shocked many – including themselves - by winning first place and audience favorite over some very seasoned competition.  Their victory earned them a spot in the Nationals in San Rafael, California on May 18^th.

Nancy and I along with our son Bryan traveled to the Bay Area to meet up with my mother-in-law Elizabeth, sister-in-laws Mary and Linda who call came down from Washington State, and sister-in-law Jan and her new husband Mark who live in nearby Livermore.  We had lunch with Christina and her husband Jesse on Friday, who were finishing up their honeymoon.  We didn’t talk about the competition.  I figured within the next 24 hours she would have plenty of that.  The next day, it was off to San Rafael where we had dinner and a few drinks to take the edge off (I highly recommend Napoli Restaurant if you are ever in Downtown San Rafael).

The event was taking place at the Marin Veterans Auditorium, a beautiful venue in a lovely setting.  As nice as it was, it was cold, so they let us in early.  The auditorium is stunning.  It was constructed perfectly so there is no bad seat in the house.  We ran into the trio at their table where they were selling CDs, stickers and handing out business cards.  They appeared calm, but a little anxious.  I bought a couple of CDs (or maybe it was six), and told them good luck and that I would see them after.  We also caught up with Jesse’s parents Shelly and Hubert who were equally excited about the performance.

The crowd filed in and by 7:55, there was not an empty seat in the place.  We turned our phones off as it was now curtain time.  MC Angie Doctor does her welcomes and acknowledgments and explains the rules.  She then introduces the evening’s host - 2012 winner and reigning National Champions Six Appeal who opens the show with a head-bobbing rendition of Listen to the Music.

First group to perform is Pacific Northwest Champs Rezonate.  It is a tough thing to be first act in an event such as this, but the sextet from Eugene, Oregon who finished third in the 2009 Nationals handled it like pros.  They opened with a cute song called Got No Rhythm.  They also sang a very good Queen medley that started off with the infections We Will Rock You.  This is a group that has opened for The Bobs, so you expect greatness and they delivered.  I thought their set lost a little steam near the end, but they were very good.

Next is Fermata Town from Boston.  This was a big group.  I mean, a really, really big group.  They

Fermata Town - photo by Christopher Cochems

 brought twelve singers with them but per Sweepstakes rules are only allowed eight on stage at a time (their website states they actually have fourteen singers in the group!).  So between songs, they shuttled singers out while bringing new singers in.  It kinda resembled a hockey line change or tag-team wrestling.  But with all the switching of singers, they never lost their cohesiveness.  Vocally, they are excellent.  They do mostly original stuff and their harmonies are multi-layered (I even heard a little Eric Whitacare influences in one of their pieces).  Fermata Town is part pop, part jazz, part rock.  They have a good blend although to an untrained ear, their harmonies may have sounded a bit busy. 



The fabulous Lustre Quarter - photo by Christopher Cochems



Next in line was the Baltimore-based Lustre Quartet, winners of the Mid-Atlantic Region.  First, I have always loved barbershop style singing.  It really is the original a cappella singing and when it’s done right, it can be amazing.  And these ladies definitely did it right.  Gliding onto center stage in their flowing blue gowns, they took their places behind the mikes, got their pitch and let it rip.  Let me just say this……and I believe this to be a technical music term.……….they blew the doors off the place!  Lori Crouter, Lori Dreyer, Jenny Harris and Kate Morrical rocked the house.  Their voices were so strong and harmonies so tight that the audience showed their appreciation by clapping, cheering and stomping their feet.   An absolutely thunderous ovation.  Their bio states that they are the 2013 Sweet Adeline’s International 7^th Place Finalist.  I told my sister-in-law Mary, “No way there are six barbershop groups better than these gals…” 

I felt sorry for whomever had to follow Lustre, but it was in the capable hands of the Bay Area’s own Ro Sham Bo.  They came out in 1960s/1970s garb and a board that read “The Dating Game,” referring to the old game show of the time.  One singer acted as the host, one was the bachelor and three were the bachelorettes.  Well, one of the bachelorettes was a male singer in drag, but there are only two females in the group.  So what could they do?  Anyway, they used the bachelor questions to launch into their set that included “All of Me, Feeling Good,” and “Kissing My Love.”  They sounded great.  Good soloists, sharp harmonies.  The guy in drag (sorry I don’t have his name) was an especially good soloist.  I did think the skit aspect took away from their vocals a bit.  But overall, I thought they were very good.

****INTERMISSION********

It’s time to catch our breath, stretch our legs and you know….go to the restroom.  The first half of the show had been fabulous.  We still do not know when the girls are going to perform.  But it will be soon as there are only three groups left.  Coincidentally, the remaining groups are from the nation’s big three cities: Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.  During the break, the buzz in the men’s room (the place where all a cappella intellectuals gather), was about Lustre.  One gentleman said, “They were fabulous.  I don’t see anyone beating them.”  Meanwhile, I continued my eavesdropping in the lobby.  One woman loved the big sound of Fermata Town.  A teenage girl thought the boys of Rezonate were cute.  A man found the Dating Game skit by Ro Sham Bo “hilarious.”  But the consensus was that The Lustre Quartet had won the first part of the show.  And I could not disagree with that.

Intermission is now over, and we are ready for the home stretch. 



The Rainbows - photo by Christopher Cochems



First up was The Rainbows.  Although they were the New York Regional winner, they are actually from Quebec City, Canada (by the way, QC is one of our favorite places on earth).  They each wore different color shirts (hence the name “Rainbows”), and opened with a sassy arrangement of the James Brown classic “I Feel Good,” with the powerful Genevieve Pare on lead vocals.  “Soul Man” and “I Thank You” were also part of their performance.  Nicholas Grynzpan performed some nice solo bass work in the middle of the set.  Their harmonies were outstanding and the effervescent Pare did a great job fronting the band.  I liked them a lot.  I thought they were fun, and I got the feeling that they were genuinely happy just to be competing in this event. 

Honey Whiskey Trio singing Freight Train Blues -
photo by Christopher Cochems

And now, the moment that we were waiting for.  Representing Los Angeles, the Honey Whiskey Trio. 

After all of the beat-boxing, big sounds and big-throated soloists, would the audience and judges respond to HWT’s quiet performance and their subtle but complex harmonies?  We were about to find out. 

HWT came onto a stage that looked way too big for their small group.    They appeared relaxed, although Christina admitted later that she was very nervous.  After taking hold of their microphones, Courtney, Ann and Christina launched into Courtney’s hauntingly beautiful arrangement of “House of the Rising Sun.”  You could hear a pin drop.  I knew at that point they had the audience’s attention.  As their set continued, the trio seemed to settle in and gain confidence.  They sang Bob Dylan’s “Freight Train Blues” with style and personality.  And they surprised the audience with a ballad version of “You’re the One That I Want” from the movie Grease.  As they left the stage, the Honey Whiskey Trio received a sustained applause.  Not the raucous one Lustre had, but this was a knowledgeable audience and it was definitely a response of both respect and admiration.  One their Facebook page, Ann Daniels wrote: “You completely blew me away this evening. Your version of House of the Rising Sun moved me to tears”

I exhaled, proud of what the girls had accomplished.  I watched this performance – as I always do – from two angles.  First from a technical perspective, they were spot-on.  I am sure they will find fault with parts (perfectionists always do), but the harmonies were sharp, and their execution was flawless.  Then there is the emotional perspective.  I had seen them at the Regionals so I knew what to expect from them.  By now, I knew the songs and it was still an emotional performance.  No matter what happens with the judging, they could be very proud that they went out there and left everything on the stage.

Oh, there was still one group left to perform.

The final act was Chicago’s The Cat’s Pajamas.  With their television appearances (The Sing-Off), their 200-plus bookings in Branson, Missouri and boy-band good looks, they came into the competition the heavily-hyped favorite.  The group ran to center stage and tore into Grand Funk Railroad’s “Some Kinda Wonderful.”  They were full of energy, and were in constant movement.  Then, a near disaster struck.  While singing and dancing to their second song, member Mike Hilliker came down awkwardly on his right leg and went down in a heap.  He tried to get up, but went down again.  Obviously in pain, he finally (and bravely) rose, stayed in character and finished out the rest of the set.  The Cat’s Pajamas were good.  They sang and danced like professionals.  But the act was a little too night-club like for my taste.  The vocals were fine, but they were nowhere near the groups that had performed before them.

The competition was over.  While the judges deliberated, the audience voted for their favorites.  My son Bryan kept an eye on the ballot boxes – just to make sure there was no tampering.  Didn’t want to have to take this to the Supreme Court for a recount.  No hanging chads here…



2012 Champions Six Appeal - photo by Christopher Cochems

Upon returning to our seats, Angie Doctor introduced the 2012 champions Six Appeal, who were by the way spendid this evening.  The high-octane group left no doubt as to why they were last year’s winners.  They were engaging, charismatic and most of all, they could sing their butts off.  They opened with Circle of Life from the Lion King.  Their set included a lovely treatment of Ordinary People (solo by Trey Jones) and a comical send-up of the disco classic I Will Survive.  They closed with funny and energetic dancing, running and jumping version of 500 Miles to which they received the highest compliment – a standing ovation!  For the record, Six Appeal consists of Jordan Roll, Michael Brookens, Trey Jones, Nathan Hickey, Ruben Hushagen and Andrew Berkowitz.



After the crowd settled down, Angie Doctor came to the podium to announce the results. I grab Nancy’s hand, and here we go..

“Your vote for Audience Favorite goes to…….

Honey Whiskey Trio!”

Audience goes wild!  Nancy and I go wild!  Family around us goes wild!  Wow!  What an honor from this audience.  What a super honor.  The ladies come out for an encore and sing their gorgeous take on Grace Potter’s Nothing But The Water.  Again, you can feel the emotion in the audience for HWT.  Huge applause.

The MC brings out all of the groups to the stage and they form a semi-circle.  Angie Doctor continues..

“Best Original Arrangement…..

The Rainbows – I Feel Good”

I am good with this.  It was a fun, and as I mentioned before, sassy arrangement.

“Best Original Song…..

Fermata Town – Starting Line”

Yep, no doubt about this one.  Well deserved.

And now, the placements.  Inhale…..exhale….

“Third place……We have a tie.  That’s a good thing.

Fermata Town!”

And

“The Rainbows!”

Big applause as both groups step forward, exchange hugs and then take a bow as one.  It was a beautiful thing to see.  My heart is starting to beat faster….

“In second place…..

Lustre”

Three of the four ladies come to center stage beaming with pride (one had to leave early).  They were so, so good on this evening.  Once Lustre was announced as the second place winner, I turned to Nancy, but she was in a zone.  When she’s in a zone, I know not to bother her.  I then turned to my sister-in-law Linda who was to my right.  I told her, “I think our girls just won.”

And now, first place and winners of the 2013 Harmony Sweepstakes…….

Honey Whiskey Trio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I have been going to performances for years and I pride myself on restraint.  But on this night, I totally lost my composure.  I don’t even remember, but the next thing I knew I was on my feet jumping up and down like a damn fool.  I was so proud of them.  The ladies came to center stage and looked stunned.  As the applause continued, they had their arms draped around each other, taking it all in.  The smiles on their faces were priceless.  Once the applause died down, Angie Doctor gave her closing remarks and as is with the Harmony Sweepstakes tradition, all of the groups and the audience would join together to sing the 50s Doo Wop classic “Goodnight Sweetheart.”

 Unbeknownst to them, HWT became the first L.A. champs to win the nationals since the legendary Moira Smiley and VOCO won in 2007.  And they were only the third trio in the history of the event to win.  The others were Plumbers of Rome in 2010 and Pastiche in 1987

 At the regionals, they had shocked Los Angeles.  Now, they had shocked the nation. 

The Honey Whiskey Trio – 2013 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions!

Honey Whiskey Trio - 2013 Harmony Sweepstakes
National Champions - photo by Christopher Cochems





CULBERTSON AND SANBORN HEAT UP THE NIGHT AT THORNTON



David Sanborn (left) and Brian Culbertson

put on an amazing show last Sunday

at Thornton Winery. Photo by Nancy Wilson



Culbertson and Sanborn Show off Their Artistry at Thornton Winery

It was nearly 100 degrees in Temecula last Sunday and the crowd outside Thornton Winery was getting impatient.  They were waiting to enter the venue to see the concert billed as The Dream Tour featuring David Sanborn and Brian Culbertson.  The acts sound check and rehearsal had run late and the sun-baked crowd outside (the line had wound its way through the parking lot) was chomping at the bit to get inside, take its collective seats, buy some wine and get down to the business of enjoying the concert

It was well worth the wait.

Brian Culbertson and David Sanborn performed a sizzling show.  Sanborn, the brilliant alto saxophonist whom I have been following for years was spectacular.  Blending traditional jazz, R&B and stylized pop, Sanborn was the epitome of cool; dressed in all black and working hard, he didn’t break a sweat as he ran through his hits such as Chicago Song, Anything You Want, and the infectious Bang, Bang.  At 66, David Sanborn looks and sounds better than ever.

On the other hand, this was my first time seeing Brian Culbertson, and I was very impressed.  The multi-talented Illinois native is a brilliant keyboardist and a fantastic showman.  He showed his brilliance on songs such as Camel Island and On my Mind (the later song he played the keyboard backwards with his back to the crowd).  In addition to his talent on the keyboards, Culbertson also plays a mean trombone (and instrument you don’t often see as a featured player). 

Both Sanborn and Culbertson showed their artistry during the two and one-half hour concert.  While they had fun with tunes like Bang, Bang, they showed they had the chops to play any type of number, like the gorgeous Dreams.  The concert was paced beautifully with ballads like On My Mind mixed in with uptempo numbers like It’s On Tonight.  By the time they performed a hot cover of Earth, Wind And Fire’s Serpentine Fire, the crowd was on its feet and dancing in the aisles.

It was an amazing performance by a couple of amazing artists.  These two play off each other well, and one does not overshadow the other.  While the weather was hot, the show was hotter.

By the way, despite the late start, the staff at Thornton handled everything beautifully.  As always, a great night at TW

EUGE IS IN THE GROOVE

Smooth Jazz Saxophonist throws a big party at Thornton Winery

When Euge Groove walked out onto the Thornton Winery stage last Sunday afternoon, he said into the microphone in an almost inaudible tone,

“Y’all feeling alright?”  (cheers from the crowd).

“Let’s try that again. I said y’all feeling alright? (louder cheers) “

“Y’all ready for a party? (crazy loud cheers)

“Alright, then let’s do this.” (L.A. Kings-winning-the-Staley Cup-cheers)

With that, Groove launched into his classic Born 2 Groove and the dance floor filled up within seconds.  The party was on.



Euge Groove wows the crowd with his
mashup of Just My Imagination and
Let's Get it On. Photo by Nancy Wilson



The Miami-born Groove who expertly mixes soul, pop and jazz, put on a crowd-pleasing performance that never waned.  As the Temecula summer weather cooled when Groove took the stage in the late afternoon, he immediately turned the heat up and the appreciative crowd partied along with him.  He performed all of his hits, including XXL, Chilaxin’ and Livin’ Large. 

He loved talking to the audience (I found it strange that the more I drank, the easier it was for me to understand him.  Go figure..).  Groove waded into the crowd during a soulful mashup of the Temptations classic “Just My Imagination and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.”  The music even took a spiritual turn with the brilliant “Sunday Morning.”

I have seen many smooth jazz saxophonists over the years, but Groove (along with Eric Darius) are – in my opinion – the best.  Groove has the phrasing skills of Kenny G, but unlike most players, his sound is multi-layered and incredibly soulful.  It probably comes from his days with Tower of Power.  He specializes in the tenor sax, but he played a beautiful soprano on Tenderhearted Lover.

Beyond his extraordinary musicianship, Euge Groove is a tremendous showman.  He seems to have so much fun and the fans have fun with him.  And his act works well in the intimate setting of Thornton Winery.  Groove’s band was terrific.  John Stoddart on keyboards, Alex Al on bass and Danny Jacob on guitar provided great backup and a good groove.

The concert was opened by jazz-fusion group Down to the Bone.  These young guys can really play.  They reminded me of a young Weather Report.  Led by bassist Rufus Philpot, the band includes drummer Iahji Hampton, saxophonist Katisse Buckingham, keyboardist Lao Tizer, Gabriel Johnson on trumpet and Steve Sorcon on guitar (who was so new the group that he was using sheet music to play.).  Mixing jazz and funk, this tight group effortlessly played songs like Supercharged and Future Boogie.  The Thornton crowd gave them a standing ovation at the end of their set.  This band gets a big thumbs up from me.

PACIFIC STANDARD TIME REUNION CONCERT

A Magical Night for Guter, PST

Ten Year Reunion Concert is a testament to CSULB vocal group and its teacher



Alumni join current PST for finale



Christine Guter said that she was an emotional wreck in the days leading up to last week’s Pacific Standard Time reunion concert featuring her former vocal jazz students from the last ten years. 

She had good reason to be emotional.  More reason to be proud.

Before an appreciative and enthusiastic audience at the Link Theater, student by student, act by act, paid tribute to both Guter and PST, the group that she founded when she came to Cal State Long Beach as a young teacher in 2002.

The performances were superb.  The emotion was palatable.  

One would have thought that the music for this special evening would have been strictly jazz.  But the performances were eclectic.  To begin with, the house band – or Alumni Band - was hot, with Steve Blum on piano, Anthony Shadduck on bass, Sean Fitzpatrick on drums and Dan Kaneyuki on saxophone.  They provided solid backing for a wide array of music.

As for the performances, all were of an extremely high level.  It showed just how much talent Guter had cultivated over the past ten years and how much she meant to the lives of so many.  Nearly all said small but heartfelt “thank you’s” in tribute to the woman who guided them through a pivotal time in their musical journey through Cal State Long Beach.

With all of this talent, the bar was set extremely high.  And with each singer, the bar was cleared.  The night got off to a rousing start as Franchesca Preponis opened with a hot rendition of Chick Corea’s You’re Everything.  Next was the duet by Christina Wilson and Michael Funk who sang a playful version of Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.  Abby Carlson, Andrea Calderwood, Courtney Gasque and Ann Palmer followed with a bluesy rendition of You Don’t Know Nothing, showing off flawless four-part harmony.  Palmer and Campbell returned to sing the melodic and gorgeous Winter Song.

Calderwood blew the crowd away with her solo on Such Great Heights.  Backed by Sean Fitzpatrick’s vocal percussion, Andrea’s vocals went up and down the musical scale and her scat technique was brilliant.  And the hits just kept coming.  Alexandra Domingo, Christina Wilson, Maria Dowell, Rachel St. Marselle, Abby Carlson and Genevieve Artadi sang the toe-tapping Aquarela de Brasil with Domingo performing the lead.

The show continued with Renee Motteler, who flew in from Albuquerque, New Mexico sweetly sang Rosana Eckert’s At the End of the Day.  Sean Fitzpatrick and Steve Blum followed with September in the Rain, with Fitzpatrick doing the vocals and Blum showing off his dexterity on the keyboards.  Then the audience had some real fun.  Steve Boyett, Carnell Harrell and Michael Funk performed The Sugar Hill Gang’s rap classic Rapper’s Delight word for word and note for note.  To close out the first half of the show, Genevieve Artadi and collaborator Louis Cole brought the crowd to its feet with the techno Things About You.

And that was only the first half.  The audience needed it just to catch its breath.

The second half of the evening opened with Christina Wilson and Sean Fitzpatrick’s swinging, swaying arrangement of Almost Like Being In Love.  The ensemble featured Wilson, Fitzpatrick, Alexandra Domingo, Virgil Rosales and Luc Kleiner and a jumpin’ sax solo by Dan Kaneyuki. 

Carrie Mock and Cathy Terrones performed an absolutely gorgeous rendition of the Terrones original composition Slow Like Honey with Terrones on guitar accompanied by Mock’s soaring violin.  Tim Buchholz displayed his fine vocal talent as he joined Steve Blum on Farmer’s Market.  Carnell Harrell had the audience hooked with his latin-influenced arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s You & I.  The alumni portion of the show closed with a roof-raising vocal by Virgil Rosales of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep.

It was now time for the current Pacific Standard Time to perform and they rocked the house, sounding better than ever.  The group opened with the rollicking Down South Camp Meeting Time, then moving to the soulful Tight and closing with Ian Brekke’s  beautiful arrangement of Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower (assisted by members of Jazz & Tonic).

The magical evening closed with the current Pacific Standard Time joining the alumni for stunning ballad Maybe brought the crowd to its feet, brought hugs from the singers, and brought tears to the eyes of Christine Guter, whose voice cracked as she thanked everyone involved in making this evening a runaway success.



Carnell Harrell, Christine Guter and Steve Boyett



The evening was a wonderful testament to Guter, the program and the school.  Guter has nurtured a family environment that all feel a part of.  Everyone was happy to come back home to say thank you.  And the best of Guter and the award-winning PST may be yet to come…









IT'S NOW HIP TO CLIP



Blake Chris and Chauncey will try to change the Clippers history



WHILE THE BANDWAGON FILLS UP, THIS LONGTIME CLIPPERS FAN WARNS EVERYONE TO PROCEED WITH CAUTION

The NBA season has finally begun and all eyes (or most eyes) are on Los Angeles.  And we are not talking about that little team that wears purple and gold and has all the banners and hall of famers.  We are talking the Los Angeles Clippers.  As shocking as it may seem to most, the Clips are the most intriguing team in the league.  Sportscasters, the blogosphere, and pendants have all jumped on the Clipper bandwagon.  And why not?  We have a star in Blake Griffin, an all-star point guard in Chris Paul, veterans in Caron Butler and Chauncey Billips and a young big-man in the making in Deandre Jordan.  Murals have gone up near Staples Center.

As a long-time long-suffering Clippers fan (and there are many who are going to claim this but I along with my son Bryan and Clipper Darrell are probably the only real longtime Clippers fans), I am warning everyone that as wonderful as this may all seem, it is wise to proceed with caution. 

Here are just a few things happened when previous Clipper teams were about to turn the corner:

1986 - Derek Smith blows out his ACL.  Smith, who was only 35 when he died of a heart attack in 1996, was one of the budding stars of the Clips averaging 26 ppg and 8 rebounds.

1988 - Norm Nixon tears his right Achilles playing in a softball game in Central Park

1989 - Danny Manning, who was in the middle of a rookie-of-the-year season, blows out his ACL

1989 – Trying to comeback, Norn Nixon tears his left Achilles on the final day of training camp

1989 - After coming over in a terrific trade (for that stiff Danny Ferry who refused to play for the Clippers), Ron Harper who was averaging nearly 28 ppg blows out his ACL.  Although he spent many more years in the NBA (4 with the Clips) and won rings with the Bulls and Lakers, Harper was never again the “skywalker” player that brought comparisons to Michael Jordon.

2003 - Lamar Odom, who was coming into his own is suspended for failing a drug test.  He ended up playing out the final year of his contact and signed with Miami in the offseason

2007 - Shawn Livingston knee blows up.  In one of the ugliest and heartbreaking moments in team history, the young guard planted his foot, came down awkwardly and was gone from action for two years.  Doctors said they had never seen and injury as horrific as this before.

As bad as those instances were, maybe the one that brings the closest comparison to this season is 2002-03 season.  First, let’s go back to the previous year.  The Clippers fielded their most exciting team up to that point.  They acquired Elton Brand from the Bulls.  They also traded for Corey Maggette.  They drafted Keyon Dooling, Quinten Richardson and one of the prizes of the draft – high school phenom Darius Miles.  Add that to young Lamar Odom, Michael Olawakindi and Jeff McGinnis and the Clippers were really fun to watch.  They had great chemistry and had a real joy of playing.

Prior to the 2002-03 season, everyone agreed that the missing piece that would put the Clips over the top was a top-tier point guard.  And GM Elgin Baylor did just that.  He traded the very popular Darius Miles to Cleveland for Andre Miller.  As much as I hated to lose Darius (much the same way I felt about losing Eric Gordon), I could see this working. Miller was outstanding in Cleveland where he led the league in assists and was generally regarded as one of the best point guards in the league.  He was an L.A. guy, who went to high school at Verbum Dei.  It was a perfect match.  It was ideal.

And then the season started.  And Miller laid a big, fat egg.

It turns out that Miller never wanted to play for the Clippers.  This was not unusual in those days.  But instead of being a professional about it (like Ron Harper who also didn’t want to come here but played great until he blew out is knee.  Or how about Sam Cassell’s wonderful effort in 2006?), Miller mailed in the season and once the season ended, the Clips did not want to pickup his option.  And who could blame them?  He had a chance to lead this young team but instead he infected the locker room of this highly impressionable team.  Marco Jaric, then a rookie out of Europe said of Miller,

 “He told us it doesn’t matter if we play hard or not.  Just look out for yourselves.  Guys like Elton and Corey didn’t listen to him, but some of the other guys did.”

Most Clippers fans (including this one) don’t think much of Miller.  To this day, he still gets booed at Staples.  And he didn’t make matters better for himself with his takedown on Blake Griffin last season that earned him a suspension.  Miller stated, “He gets too much respect.  He ain’t made nobody better.”

Now, I am not trying to bring anyone down.  And I don’t see and Andre Miller situation happening with Chris Paul.  And even if it did, I think Chauncey Billips would nip it in the bud. My point is Clipper fans, we have to wait to see how the season plays out.  As fun as all of this is – and it is a lot of fun seeing all of the attention the Clippers are getting – it’s still a work in progress.

So, enjoy this season.  But let’s not place them in the finals yet.  It’s a long season.  Well, sort of long with 66 games.  Let’s hope the guys stay healthy and keep getting better.  Be cautious.  As you have seen in this posting, strange things have happened to this team before.