The Northwests Harmony Sweepstakes Champs: Straighter Road

Being a student of Jazz and voice, I am intensely in love with great vocal ensemble music.  I'm admittedly pretty picky when it comes to listening to ensembles.  There are some truly great acapella groups out there right now, and I guess it's pretty cool that they can imitate exactly what today's top 40 pop and dance songs are doing.  But I don't really want to listen to a vocal copy of those songs.  My pallet craves new flavors of those tunes.  The Sing Off is a fantastic show that has showcased some great examples of vocal ensembles taking those songs and actually doing something creative with them.

Ok, all I'm really trying to say is that I know a good vocal group when I hear one.  So, right now, before you do anything else, you NEED to stop EVERYTHING and go listen to Straighter Road.  These guys are this years Harmony Sweepstakes Acapella Festival winners and will be traveling to San Fransisco in May to compete in the national competition.  Straighter Road, has a genuine, buttery sound that's infused with a passion to worship God.  Their songs and arrangements are truly creative and have never failed to make me stop and listen.

I'm honored, and elated, to let you all know that my mom sings in this group!  She's been one of, if not the biggest, influences in my life.  She's introduced me to countless styles of music and always encouraged me to pursue my dreams.  I am SO proud of you madre!

The groups founder, Kevin Kunz, also happens to be a good friend of mine and produced my single, What You Do To My Heart.  The guy's ability to write, arrange, and produce is just ridiculous!  Beyond his skill as a musician Kevin is a man that carries himself with humility and a heart that's hungry for the things of God.  He's said from the beginning that Straighter Road is for God, bent on praising Him, and loving people through the gifts they've all been given.

 

Via the Harmony Sweepstakes Website: Singing is one of the purest art forms. Nothing man made between the artist and the audience. Straighter Road was formed as a Gospel vocal group first, with a band back-up, and recently has ventured down the Acapella Road. The challenge of acapella sing is without edges and joined with the charge of spreading the Good News of the Gospel, keeps Straighter Road striving for excellence.

So You Like Jazz?

My good friend Richard Page and I decided to throw down one of our favorite Sinatra standards.  Here's our rendition of "Fly Me To The Moon".
Just a little teaser, I think Richard and I are toying with the idea of doing some more tunes together.

Weekend Wishes

Finding solitude, in the parking lot of the gym I used to go to, inside a magical place called "Escape", I unsheathed my iPhone and proceeded to craft a harmonious wish for all of you.

The Daily Tune: NYC

Today's tune is brought to you by yours truly.

This is a little ditty I wrote years ago after an amazing trip to New York City for the IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) Conference.
While I was there, I instantly fell in love with the incredible city and all the history and culture it's literally jam packed full of.
After a good 48 hours of no sleep, I finally brought all engines to full stop, only to start feeling the creative itch kick in.  So with my feet kicked up in the window of our hotel, near Times Square, I put pen to paper an crafted this song.

This is a very special tune to me and pays homage to one of the greatest songwriters who's ever graced a stage anywhere.  Billy Joel.
While the song itself sounds nothing like his mega hit, you will catch a little snip of my 'ode to Joel' in the chorus.

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The Daily Tune: Kurt Carr - Worship Medley

The human voice is a truly amazing thing.  When it's blended together with tight vocal harmony and paired with songs written by the great Kurt Carr it becomes something entirely different and special.

Sam Robson has become one of my all time favorite Youtube artists.  This is a man who has taken his talent and sharpened it into a true skill.  This guy is a true gem!  Your ears will NOT be left wanting.

What if you experienced the music you listen to?

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I am a firm believer in the power of music. I know that "the power of music" is a phrase that nearly everyone, musician and non alike, is familiar with.  But what happens when the emotion collides with the spirit?  What happens when the feelings that song stirs up meets the one who created you? My desire in writing this song was that it would be an atmosphere altering sound.  That the listener could sit back and simply soak.  
My prayer for you is that you would not just listen and enjoy What You Do To My Heart, but that you would listen and engage the one I wrote this for.  Worship was designed by God for God and is meant to be an experience.  Engage when you listen!

One of the Best in Acapella

I love going hunting.  It's a thrill I will never get tired of.
While I don't actually shoot anything, I do click all over the place and what I discover is some of the best sounds that have ever graced my ears.

The group I'm sharing with you today is a conglomerate of 6 guys from 6 different countries.  They all share a HUGE passion for tight vocal harmony and, without telling their whole story, started the AMAZING group, Accent.

If you do not stop to listen to them, you should be slapped in the mouth repeatedly with an angry porcupine.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbmnbSnH3wQmuUPZSxtCovg?spfreload=1

Acapella is my heart

I was raised in a home where music was held at very high value.  My dad has experience running sound and developed a rather large and eclectic mix of everything from Boston, to Hank Williams, to Steely Dan, to Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass.  I don't think it's ever been possible to nail down my dads favorite because he has WAY to many!
My mom got me hooked, and I mean HOOKED, addicted, completely head over heals in love with Jazz.  She got me started with groups like Manhattan Transfer, and Take Six, and I gradually dipped in to the seemingly bottomless well of big bands.  Pretty soon my disc man (yes, I still remember the old thing.  Used to skip if you looked at it wrong) was spinning CD's packed with music from the Count Basie Orchestra, Harry Connick Jr, John Pizzarelli, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, and countless others.  But, while I loved and absolutely craved that stuff, there was just something about the human voice and the things it could do that pulled me in more than anything else.
I found myself soaking in and mimicking artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Kurt Elling, and Mark Murphy.  Soaking in and listening to every inflection, every consonant, every quote in every shade of any color they chose.  Then I dove in to the incredible, and masterful stylings of Bobby McFerrin.  He used his voice in ways I had never heard before and had explored the farthest reaches of his instrument.  He had gained an understanding of how the human voice could be manipulated, stretched, shaped, colored, painted, and however else you want to describe it.  McFerrin is simply one of the most, if not the most, gifted and skilled artists on the planet.  And don't argue with me because I'll just slap you in the mouth with my old disk man.

With all of that said,
The human voice, Acapella music, anything that truly showcases what the vocal chords can do.  THAT is what truly excites me.
So here's a little song I wrote... (Pun completely intended.)

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Thank U For All U Are

I am thankful for all of you today and I'd like to say it in a song! (Does anyone else wish that life was like a musical?)