TheSpotlight

The Oregon City High School SoundCheck are just getting started as a contemporary a cappella group, so we talked with them about how they’re finding their way. They shared some stories and sang some tunes. Recorded in 2017.

It’s always a highlight of the year when we bring Deke Sharon into #TheSpotlight! He’s always busy, and always thinking about and working in a cappella. So we spend a whole hour with him talking about where he has been and where he’s going!

There’s something special about arrangements and performances for a trio. Hearing Resound in the tunes for this episode was lovely, and you can hear the strength and tone. We talk with them about their journey so far, how they managed their growth, and what’s ahead. Recorded in 2017.

While at VoiceJam, we invited the University of Texas Songhorns into the mobile studio to sing some tunes, share their backgrounds, and talk about how they’re sounding as a group these days We talked about the UT a cappella scene, their perspective on festivals and competition, and what’s ahead. Recorded in 2017.

It was a ton of fun spending time with 8 Beat Measure – and not just because they gave us some awesome swag! We talked about their recent performances, their perspectives on recording and competition, and what’s ahead for them. We also got them to sing for us live!

In this episode, we invite Plymouth, Massachusetts-based Northern Lights into the mobile studio to talk about the role of music and a cappella at their high school, how they balance Northern Lights with other extra-curricular activities, and more. They also sing some tunes for us! Recorded in 2017.

We brought Encore from Oakland School for the Arts into the mobile studio to talk about the formation of the group, where it fits into the OSA curriculum, and how they interact and collaborate with Vocal Rush, the high school group from the school. We also invited them to sing some tunes for us. Recorded in 2017.

Joining us in the mobile studio, the University of California at Berkeley Men’s Octet brings an impressive history. From competitions to recordings to touring, they’ve done it all. So how do they figure out what comes next? We talk about that, about where they fit into an increasingly-crowded Berkeley a cappella scene, and more. They also sing some tunes for us. Recorded in 2017.

The Beauties and the Beat have been around a while, but recently competed in their first ICCA – we talk about making that decision and committing that level of time and effort, and whether it was as they’d hoped, and touched on the other areas of group work: recording, touring, and more. Plus, they sang some of their current rep for us. Recorded in 2017.

Mind the Gap is the all-gendered group at the University of Oregon, and is the newest of the earliest three groups on campus. We checked in with them in this episode about where they are in their recording process and cycle, their music choices, and competition schedules. We also hear them sing us some tunes. Recorded in 2017.