Acaville Podcast Network Feed

Post-collegiate group Strike A Chord! hasn't been together ALL that long, but they already have an impressive album recording in the books! We talk with them about that, along with their origin story, and what's ahead for the group - and they sing us some of the songs on the album! Recorded in 2016.

A Cappella can get mean. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Listen to guest Aubrey Lawrence and host John Lampus take a deep dive into some of the more challenging and uncomfortable areas of contemporary a cappella.

The University of Washington has more and more a cappella groups all the time - so we asked Awaaz about the community and how they collaborate with the other groups. We talk about their work in bringing together Western and South Asian music, and about the competition scene. We also hear them sing us some tunes! Recorded in 2016.

HOWL is an impressive duo of talented musicians, accompanied by a live-looping setup. We interview all three (although the looping pedal didn't say much), and hear them all come together for a number of great songs. Recorded in 2016.

Is auto-tune cheating? Yup. Is making a conscious decision to use electronic manipulation to create an engaging, dynamic soundscape cheating? Find out on episode 8!

We invited Harmony Sweepstakes Regional Champions Ms. Cellaneous Quartet into the mobile studio to talk about their competition journey, their relationships with their chorus and each other, and their musical predilections. We also invited them to sing for us! Recorded in 2016.

Particularly in the United States, we tend to associate barbershop quartets with sing-gendered groups. But there's a developing tradition of mixed barbershop quartets, and Double Date is an excellent example. We talk about that with them, along with their history and sound, and hear them sing some tunes for us. Recorded in 2016.

Danny Liebster, a tenor from John's old group, tells listeners about his a cappella experiences and how he gets his eyes so bright and tail so bushy.

We invited APC Rhythm from New York University into the mobile studio to talk about their origin story, their musical focus and vibe these days, and what's on their docket for the next few years. They were also gracious enough to sing some of their current music for us. Recorded in 2016.

Aaron discovers he's been mispronouncing the name of the Tufts sQ! for years, the group talks about their history and current activities, and they sing some tunes. Recorded in 2016.

Duncan Tuomi drops some arranging knowledge bombs. Is knowledge bomb a phrase? I'm not sure. It could be. We're going with it.

We were happy to be joined by the women of the Wellesley College Tupelos, as they came into the mobile studio to sing some of their current tunes and talk about their decades of history as well as what they're up to right now in terms of recording and performances. Recorded in 2016.

In 2016, we sat down with Chordially Yours to talk about how busy they've been and what they're up to next. The Chords discuss how and why they make the choices they do, and talk about what they're sounding like these days. We also hear them sing some of their current repertoire.

Greg Starr's first episode! Talking the difference between big groups v. small groups and the impact choral training has on leading an a cappella group.

One of our favorite episodes of the year, it's time for The Year In Deke. We talk with Deke Sharon all about what he has been up to lately, and look ahead to some of the projects he has in the hopper in the months to come!

There's no cool story. John lost the episode. That's it.

It was a delight to spend some time with the guys of All The King's Men from King's College London. We talked with them about their annual stint at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, about their processes for bringing new music into the group, and we hear some of their current, award-winning songs. Recorded in 2016.

It was a great time when we brought Berklee College of Music's Pitch Slapped into the mobile studio. Not only did they sound wonderful singing for us, but they also talked about maintaining quality over time, about deciding where to focus next, and what's ahead for them. Recorded in 2016.

Struggling to turn a group around? Listen to Lisa Hawkins thoughts on the matter in episode 4.

Featuring Lauren Park from University of Puget Sound's What She Said, Episode 3 focuses on keeping a group focused, motivated, and hungry.

Episode number 2! Guest and composer Daniel Wolfert breaks down the ins and outs of original a cappella tunes.

The Eight Tracks have a lot going on right now, with more on the horizon - so we talk about all of it, along with how they keep that momentum going through personnel changes and other life events. We also hear them sing some of their current tunes for us in the mobile studio. Recorded in 2016.

We invited Seatown Sound into the mobile studio to talk about their journey from formation to now, about their audition cycles and processes, and what's ahead for the group. They also sang some of their current music for us. Recorded in 2016.

Tonal Recall joined us to talk about how they got started and how they keep moving forward on such a distributed set of campuses. We also talked with them about what they're working on these days (including recording), and hear them sing some of their current music. Recorded in 2016.

While in the mobile studio, the women of HERmonic talked with us about being in a single-gender group, about the a cappella scene at PLU, and about all the things on their horizons right now. We also invited them to sing for us as well. Recorded in 2016.