Podcast appearances and mentions of harmony sweepstakes

On Episode 109, Brian and Elicia are with Business Casual, a Bay Area group that's been experiencing a steady rise in the a cappella community - including two appearances at Carnegie Hall, wins at Harmony Sweepstakes and VoiceJam, and a trip to represent the US at Vocal Asia in Japan.

On Episode 109, Brian and Elicia are with Business Casual, a Bay Area group that's been experiencing a steady rise in the a cappella community - including two appearances at Carnegie Hall, wins at Harmony Sweepstakes and VoiceJam, and a trip to represent the US at Vocal Asia in Japan.

In this months show host Mike Maino and special guest host Matt Macolini listen to music from the upcoming Harmony Sweepstakes along with BYU Vocal Point, The Idea of North, The House Jacks and more!

In a 2020 visit to Boston, we were so happy to bring The Eight Tracks back into the studio for another session. With almost 100% turnover since we talked to them last, that was a big focus of conversation, along with their Harmony Sweepstakes experience (and what they might do differently next time). Plus, might there be more recording ahead from the group? Tune in and hear about it! (They also sounded great on some live tunes...)

In a 2020 visit to Boston, we were so happy to bring The Eight Tracks back into the studio for another session. With almost 100% turnover since we talked to them last, that was a big focus of conversation, along with their Harmony Sweepstakes experience (and what they might do differently next time). Plus, might there be more recording ahead from the group? Tune in and hear about it! (They also sounded great on some live tunes...)

Gotta Sing! is a quartet borne from a Sweet Adelines chorus in Santa Monica, California, and just in the year they've been together, they've already achieved a lot! We talk about the ramp-up of a new quartet, the relationship between quartets and choruses, and how to get more quartets started. Just hours before they took the Harmony Sweepstakes finals stage, we also heard them sing!

Gotta Sing! is a quartet borne from a Sweet Adelines chorus in Santa Monica, California, and just in the year they've been together, they've already achieved a lot! We talk about the ramp-up of a new quartet, the relationship between quartets and choruses, and how to get more quartets started. Just hours before they took the Harmony Sweepstakes finals stage, we also heard them sing!

Forecast has been together for several years, through some personnel changes, and has emerged as a harmonic force, competing well in both the Barbershop Harmony Society circles and at the Harmony Sweepstakes. Hear about their experiences, and their songs that got them 2nd place in the country!

Forecast has been together for several years, through some personnel changes, and has emerged as a harmonic force, competing well in both the Barbershop Harmony Society circles and at the Harmony Sweepstakes. Hear about their experiences, and their songs that got them 2nd place in the country!

Welcome to the Home Studio Hustle Podcast. This is episode 2. In this episode, I give you some background on myself, as well as clarify who Home Studio Hustle is for. I want to respect your time, so it’s only right to be up front and clear about who I want to help with Home Studio Hustle.   But first, let’s start with me:   (Always a good sign, right?)   No, I believe that if I expect you to give your time to me, you should at least know some things about who I am and where I come from.   My name is Michael Brown and I’m from Connecticut. I work with Special Education Kindergarteners as my day job and I LOVE IT.  I leave work every single day feeling full and fulfilled.I hope your day job makes you feel the same way. Maybe it doesn’t, but that isn’t terribly relevant to what we’re talking about here.   Growing up I was constantly around music.  I sang in chorus and joined band as soon as I could. I knew immediately that music was something I wanted to do forever.   Now, I could go on and on about school and my experiences in each grade, but I’m just going to do some fast-forwarding here to High School.   Does anyone here remember LimeWire?  It was kind of like Nappster. It was an illegal file sharing program and community that hosted a crazy amount of music for free.   Hey, I told you I was going to be honest. That’s a part of my story. I was young and irreverent at the time and that’s not something I would participate in today. In fact, I have a whole future episode of the podcast coming out about how piracy kills creativity!   Anyway, my friend Colin and I were looking around in the files, there, and we discovered a new, budding, genre of music: A Cappella.Yes you heard me correctly. This is WAY before The Sing-Off or Pitch Perfect or even a general knowledge of the style was around.   It blew my mind. I needed in.  I researched colleges based on A Cappella groups rather than graduation rates and student life.   Fast forward some more and I’m in the group I eventually joined- Divisi from Central Connecticut State University.  My freshman year, we got the budget to record our first album.   When we walked into the recording studio for the first time, I was awestruck.   “This is it,” I thought. “This is what I need to do forever.”   Leaving the space, though, I felt heartbroken by the amount of equipment I THOUGHT I needed in order to make enough money to be comfortable as a recording engineer.   I wish someone pulled me aside and told me what I actually needed in order to make an income doing what I so clearly loved.   Fast forward again and the album wasn’t even really that good. Here’s another pain point. If this guy had all of this equipment, he must be doing something wrong with it.  I KNEW that if I was working with his gear, I could record a KILLER collection of music.   But still, nobody told me just how small an investment I’d have to make in order to create a quality product- so I moved on. In 2014, out of a desire to create more, I joined an online challenge called FAWM. That’s F A W M, which is an acronym for February Album Writing Month. The point is it’s a creativity and productivity hack designed to get your juices flowing and force you to churn out projects.  The challenge is to write and record 14 songs in the month of February- a full album.   Since I had no way to record the music I was writing, I went online and searched for a solution.   What I found was a product called an AudioBox from Presonus. It even came with a free copy of their DAW, Studio One 2. (We don’t need to go into how confusing that name is right now)I want to pause here for a moment, because this is one of the most pivotal moments in my life. This small purchase of around $100 changed my path forever.   I devoured tutorials. I recorded relentlessly. I read books and talked to experts.   I heavily invested in myself so that I could give value to others.   During that month, I wrote good songs, and I wrote bad songs, but most importantly I began the journey of improving my skills through practice.   If this part of my life was in a montage, it would cut quickly between my practicing, failing, practicing more, succeeding a little, and practicing even more.   Now, I understand that this is getting a little tedious, so let me speed it up for you.   Over the next 5 years I began producing A Cappella albums and made some strong connections with members of the community.   I partied with the top names in the niche, and curated important relationships with the professionals.   The professional group I was in after college, Connect, won 3rd place in a national competition called the Harmony Sweepstakes.  I recorded them and we made killer music and people are still streaming our music today!   Perhaps one of the next most important points in my audio journey was joining a Mastermind.  I was surrounded by like-minded up-and-coming producers and engineers who wanted to up their A Cappella game.   More than any individual tip or skill I learned in that group (It was a paid mastermind) I found myself in some solid relationships with those people. Fast forward again to the present day. I’m making impactful, supplemental income out of my home studio. Now, did I tell you all of that because I’m in love with myself and just want to sit people down and shove my story down their throat?No.   I have shared my story because I want to highlight the most important parts of it:   That I felt like I couldn’t do it That I took advantage of a moment of strength and jumped into recording That I invested in MYSELF instead of gear in order to get the job done That I curated and leveraged RELATIONSHIPS And that when I had nobody else to work with, I created my OWN projects and EXECUTED on them   So, did you hear me say ANYWHERE that I was the best at something?   No   In fact, I have a personal rule never to be the best in the room. With that said- I want to help as many people as I can with Home Studio Hustle, but I’m sure it won’t be for everyone.   (Ad lib a little on these points) I’m not going to make you rich overnight I can’t fix lazy I can’t help you if you’re headstrong in the WAYS you want to go about this. Who is Home Studio Hustle for? Let’s get specific.   If you’re sitting down at your workstation several times a week and playing around with the same project file but not making any real progress, HSH IFY If you’ve tweaked the EQ and compression settings on your acoustic guitar every night this week, but it’s still not perfect. HSH IFY If you’ve ever rejected a paid opportunity because you’re nervous that you don’t have what it takes to deliver. HSH IFY If you’re pumping out good beats and putting them on soundcloud where they sit and collect dust. HSH IFY If you have a strong desire to create meaningful and impactful art or education using your skills. HSH IFY If you know that you need to invest in YOURSELF in order to improve your work. HSH IFY And if you want to transition your hobby into a reliable supplemental paycheck. HSH IFY If any of those sound like you, join me at homestudiohustle.com/podcast and Subscribe to this podcast. I’ll be here every week to share tips, tricks, hacks, and actionable techniques to get you closer to your goals.   Thank you, and keep hustlin.

While at the Harmony Sweepstakes finals, we spent time with the gentlemen of Drive, a barbershop quartet that covers all kinds of music. We talk about replacing a member of an existing quartet, the differences between competing in a barbershop contest vs. the Sweeps, and how they're changing they way they record their music. Plus, some tunes!

While at the Harmony Sweepstakes finals, we spent time with the gentlemen of Drive, a barbershop quartet that covers all kinds of music. We talk about replacing a member of an existing quartet, the differences between competing in a barbershop contest vs. the Sweeps, and how they're changing they way they record their music. Plus, some tunes!

Final Melody, a post-collegiate group from the Chicago area, spent time with Rachael late in 2018, talking about their experiences with America's Got Talent, the Harmony Sweepstakes, and growing a group after college. They also share some tunes. (Note that there were some audio issues with the recording of this session; we cleaned them up a bit, but you'll still notice. We apologize!)

Final Melody, a post-collegiate group from the Chicago area, spent time with Rachael late in 2018, talking about their experiences with America's Got Talent, the Harmony Sweepstakes, and growing a group after college. They also share some tunes. (Note that there were some audio issues with the recording of this session; we cleaned them up a bit, but you'll still notice. We apologize!)

AcaGeekz 10 – “Harmony Sweepstakes” AcaGeekz is available on Apple Podcast and Sticher. Please leave a 5-star rating and review and help support the show! Welcome! Since Harmony Sweepstakes is approaching, here are some of the winning performances from 1996 to 2007!  If you are competing, I hope this inspires you to really shine!  If you are an AcaFan, or an AcaGeek, I hope this inspires you to attend your closest regional as well as the National Final! It’s my hope that AcaGeekz will introduce the casual listener and the hardcore a cappella fan alike to some groups and styles they’ve never heard before. Whether it be Barbershop, collegiate, doo wop, high school, choral, jazz, funk, pop, rock, or classical, there’s something for everyone! It’s time to give the tracks for this episode their due credit. So here they are, the tracks for AcaGeekz “Harmony Sweepstakes”! Apple Podcast and Sticher Promo Song Title: “Can’t Sleep Love” Artist: Pentatonix Album: Pentatonix (Deluxe) (2015) Website: www.ptxofficial.com You can purchase Pentatonix (Deluxe) by Pentatonix at: https://www.amazon.com/Pentatonix-Deluxe-Version/dp/B014PD0R0A INTRO: Song Title: “Paul” Artist: Paul Cingolani from +4db Album: +4db (2000) Website: N/A You can purchase the album +4db by +4db at: http://www.amazon.com/4db-Plus-Four-db/dp/B0001WW2KI *****CHECK IT OUT***** You can find all the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival Nationals albums at: http://www.harmony-sweepstakes.com/hsrecordings.html And you can learn all about the past winners at: http://www.harmony-sweepstakes.com/champions/ SONG #1: Song Title: “Got A Friend” Artist: m-pact Year: 1996 SONG #2: Song Title: “Say” Artist: SoVoSo Year: 1997 SONG #3: Song Title: “Yakko’s World” Artist: Metropolis Year: 1998 SONG #4: Song Title: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” Artist: Naturally Seven Year: 1999 SONG #5: Song Title: “Route 66” Artist: Toxic Audio Year: 2000 SONG #6 Song Title: “Mambo” Artist: Sixth Wave Year: 2001 Song #7: Song Title: “Blue Skies” Artist: Perfect Gentlemen Year: 2002 SONG #8: Song Title: “Mas Que Nada” Artist: Idea Of North Year: 2003 Song #9: Song Title: “Theme & Variation on ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing’” Artist: Chapter 6 Year: 2004 SONG #10: Song Title: “Joy To The World” Artist: Groove For Thought Year: 2005 SONG #11: Song Title: Blackbird” Artist: Hi-Fidelity Year: 2006 OUTRO: Song Title: “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” Artist: Vocal Point (Brigham Young University) Album: Spectrum(2014) Website: www.byuvocalpoint.com You can purchase Spectrum by Vocal Point (Brigham Young University) at: http://www.byumusicstore.com/spectrum-cd-byu-vocal-point/ SONG #12: Song Title: “Szerelem” Artist: Moira Smiley & Voco Year: 2007 Thank you for listening to this brand new episode, and I invite you to come back next week for Throwback episode! So be sure to subscribe for more great content!  If you like what you hear, please leave a 5-star rating and review and help support the show! Follow on Twitter @AcaGeekz . If you want your group to be featured on a future episode, contact me by e-mail at: acageekz@gmail.com I’ll See you next week! ~Sean~

AcaGeekz 035 – “Space Oddities” AcaGeekz is now available on Apple Podcast and Stitcher! If you like what you hear, please write a review and help support the show! Welcome! It’s my hope that AcaGeekz will introduce the casual listener and the hardcore a cappella fan alike to some groups and styles they’ve never heard before.  Whether it be Barbershop, collegiate, doo wop, high school, choral, jazz, funk, pop, rock, or classical, there’s something for everyone! It’s time to give the tracks for this episode their due credit. So here they are, the tracks for AcaGeekz “Space Oddities!” Apple Podcast and Stitcher Promo: Song Title: “Can’t Sleep Love” Artist: Pentatonix Album: Pentatonix (Deluxe) (2015) Website: www.ptxofficial.com You can purchase Pentatonix (Deluxe) by Pentatonix at: http://www.ptxofficial.com SONG #1: Song Title: “Star Wars Theme” Artist: The Swingle Singers Album: Screen Tested (1998) Website: www.theswingles.co.uk You can purchase Screen Tested by The Swingle Singers at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Screen-Tested-Swingle-Singers/dp/B00005GJYM SONG #2: Song Title: “Supermassive Black Hole” Artist: Transit Album: Transit (2007) Website: N/A SONG #3: Song Title: “Rocketman” Artist: Dear Abbeys (Boston University) Album: Sincerely – Lost In Boston (2007) Website: www.dearabbeys.com You can purchase Sincerely – Lost In Boston by Dear Abbeys (Boston University) at: http://www.dearabbeys.com SONG #4: Song Title: “Major Tome / Space Oddity” Artist: The Beelzebubs (Tufts University) Album: N/A Website: www.bubs.com SONG #5: Song Title: “Enterprise / Sulu Medley” Artist: Hi-Fidelity Album: Harmony Sweepstakes 2007 A Cappella Festival Finals (2007) Website: http://hifidelityquartet.com You can purchase Harmony Sweepstakes 2007 A Cappella Festival Final at: https://www.discogs.com/Various-Harmony-Sweepstakes-2007-A-Cappella-Festival-Finals/release/4469691 SONG #6: Song Title: “Use The Force” Artist: Heebee-Jeebees Album: Harmony Sweepstakes: A Cappella 2004 National Finals 20th Anniversary Concert (2004) Website: www.heebee-jeebees.com You can purchase Harmony Sweepstakes: A Cappella 2004 National Finals 20th Aniversary Concert at: https://itunes.apple.com/bs/album/harmony-sweepstakes-cappella/id1069705483 SONG #7: Song Title: “I Can’t Get Abducted, E.T. Don’t Dig Me Blues: Artist: Down 4 The Count Album: Tin Foil Fedora (2012) Website: www.down4thecount.com You can purchase Tin Foil Fedora by Down 4 The Count at: http://down4thecount.bandcamp.com/album/tin-foil-fedora SONG #8: Song Title: “Mothership” Artist: Kid Beyond Album: Amplivate (2006) Website: www.kidbeyond.com You can purchase Amplivate by Kid Beyond at: https://www.amazon.com/Amplivate-Kid-Beyond/dp/B000G8PK60 SONG #9: Song Title: “Starships” Artist: Pentatonix Album: PTX Vol I (2012) Website: www.ptxofficial.com You can purchase PTX Vol I by Pentatonix at: http://www.ptxofficial.com SONG #10: Song Title: “Star Wars: Artist: Moosebutter Album: SeeDee (2002) Website: www.moosebutter.com You can purchase SeeDee by Moosebutter at: https://www.amazon.com/See-Dee-Moosebutter/dp/B000QI8NDC Take a listen to this episode’s AcaTipz & Trickz, and expect more to come! So be sure to subscribe for more great content. AcaTipz & Trickz Background Music. Song Title: “Mr. Duality” Artist: The Bobs Album: Shut Up And Sing (1993) Website: www.bobs.com You can purchase Shut Up And Sing by The Bobs at: https://www.amazon.com/Shut-Up-Sing-Bobs/dp/B0000003KN Follow on Twitter @AcaGeekz . If you’d like your group to be featured on a future episode, would like to be interviewed on the show, or have some AcaTipz & Trickz you’d like to share, contact me by e-mail at: acageekz@gmail.com I’ll See you next week! ~Sean~

While in San Rafael, California for the National Harmony Sweepstakes Finals, we were delighted to sit down with the guys of Fireside Quartet. They talked with us about their immersion in the Barbershop Harmony Society and the competition scene there, as well as their experiences competing in the Harmony Sweepstakes. We also heard some of their award-winning sound. Recorded in 2017.

While in San Rafael, California for the National Harmony Sweepstakes Finals, we were delighted to sit down with the guys of Fireside Quartet. They talked with us about their immersion in the Barbershop Harmony Society and the competition scene there, as well as their experiences competing in the Harmony Sweepstakes. We also heard some of their award-winning sound. Recorded in 2017.

Bay Area post-collegiate group Halfway to Midnight joined us in the mobile studio to talk about their experiences forming the group, competing together in the Harmony Sweepstakes (at the National Finals!), and all the other things they're working on right now. They also sang us some of their current music as well! Recorded in 2016.

Bay Area post-collegiate group Halfway to Midnight joined us in the mobile studio to talk about their experiences forming the group, competing together in the Harmony Sweepstakes (at the National Finals!), and all the other things they're working on right now. They also sang us some of their current music as well! Recorded in 2016.

Mere hours before the national Harmony Sweepstakes finals, we caught up with finalists Timepiece to talk about their backstory, why they compete, and what kind of music they enjoy singing together. They went on that evening to take second place in the national finals and win audience favorite! Recorded in 2015.

Mere hours before the national Harmony Sweepstakes finals, we caught up with finalists Timepiece to talk about their backstory, why they compete, and what kind of music they enjoy singing together. They went on that evening to take second place in the national finals and win audience favorite! Recorded in 2015.

At the national Harmony Sweepstakes finals in 2015, we sat down with finalists Remedy, from the University of Dayton. Many of the members were there at the founding of the group, so we talked about the challenges and triumphs of a new ensemble. Based on their Sweeps success and upcoming interest in the ICCA, we also talked about the role of competition - and heard some of their current tunes.

At the national Harmony Sweepstakes finals in 2015, we sat down with finalists Remedy, from the University of Dayton. Many of the members were there at the founding of the group, so we talked about the challenges and triumphs of a new ensemble. Based on their Sweeps success and upcoming interest in the ICCA, we also talked about the role of competition - and heard some of their current tunes.

It was fascinating to talk with John Neal, who helped make the Harmony Sweepstakes what it is today. We discussed how a cappella has changed over the last 20 years or more, about the connections between the Sing-Off and the Harmony Sweeps, and about the competition itself.

It was fascinating to talk with John Neal, who helped make the Harmony Sweepstakes what it is today. We discussed how a cappella has changed over the last 20 years or more, about the connections between the Sing-Off and the Harmony Sweeps, and about the competition itself.

Lara Downes, a renowned pianist and the artistic director of the Mondavi Center Young Artists' Competition which this year focuses on vocal performance, and John Neal, the director of the Harmony Sweepstakes national a cappella tournament, discuss why singing competitions matter.

It's the one year anniversary of The Acapodcast! Thanks to all of you who have made it possible. Rather than dwell on it and make a big deal of it, instead I plow ahead with more of what has made the show what it is: great music. I'd like to push on for another twenty episodes this year. And greetings to all the new listeners from Coverville, you've picked a great time to come on board. Here is the lineup for show #21: * BaSix - Smooth Operator * The Richter Scales - I Got Mail * The Exboyfriends - The Flash Gordon Theme Song * UPenn Dischord - Both Hands * UCLA Scattertones- Mr. Brightside * BaSix - Purple Rain (with guests from the Herning Boys Choir) I would also like to point people to some of the fabulous photos of UPenn's Penny Loafers in China, to mention that the deadline to enter this year's Harmony Sweepstakes has been extended to the end of January, and to wish Rudy Cardenas from m-pact good luck. He's made it into the most recent season of American Idol! I'll be back in two weeks with more great music!