February 2012
8 posts
Dylan Bell: Shiny, Happy Robots →
Great advice from Dylan Bell on how to move towards perfection using Autotune tech, but keep the sound of imperfect human voices. I’ve always been saddened by the lack of great live a cappella albums—let’s bring it back y’all!
—Allison
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acageeks:
In an otherwise...
7 tags
Send some LoveNotes this Valentine's Day! →
LoveNotes is back! You can click on the link and send a personalized note to your friends, family, significant (or insignificant) other, along with an Out of the Blue recording of Animal, You Belong With Me, Black and Gold, or Use Somebody. Send love y’all!
—Allison
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5 tags
How Not to Write About Female Musicians: A Handy... →
Great article—made me think of the language I use when I evaluate all-female a cappella groups. There are real musical differences between how male and female groups present themselves, but I’m sure I overuse words like “sweet” and “sassy” for female groups. Also, I tend to call groups ”all-male a cappella” or “girls groups.” Why am I...
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INTERVIEW: Nicole Villeneuve (OOTB Tap Class '05)
This week, we’re showcasing another great blog, Paper and Salt, written by OOTAlum Nicole Villeneuve. Paper and Salt is Nicole’s discussion of recipes referenced by famous authors in their books and personal papers. Stop by Paper and Salt for great food and great thoughts!
1) What sort of work do you do?
I’m a book publicist for a university press by day. I also write about the...
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ICCA Semifinalists!
We just got back from the Quarterfinal round of the ICCAs in Hartford. OOTB was the first runner up, and therefore will be competing in the Northeast Region Semifinals at MIT this March! We also won the award for Outstanding Choreography. You can check out the pictures on our Facebook album, and we’ll have video up soon.
Thanks so much to all of the alums and parents who came out to see...
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INTERVIEW: Rebekah Fraser (OOTB Tap Class '89)
This week, we’re excited to bring you an interview with OOTB alum and journalist Rebekah Fraser about her work with peace activists, and her book in development, Everyday Peacemakers, which chronicles inspiring people Rebekah has interviewed and shares insight into how to live in harmony with others.
1) What sort of work have you done in the past?
In my years after Yale, I was: a...
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CARA Nomination!
OOTB is so proud to announce that our very own Daniel Reardon has been nominated for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award!
Daniel’s version of Black and Gold (opb Sam Sparro) from our most recent album, 16 Edgewood, is nominated for the Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement of 2012. You can listen to Black and Gold on Bandcamp for free, and find out more about the making of 16 Edgewood...
January 2012
6 posts
11 tags
Watchbeawesomenotpaper:
So this is happening.
Freshman snowball fight on Old Campus. I’m going to miss this place.
— Emmanuel
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4 tags
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Top Ten A Cappella Competition Mistakes →
acageeks:
With competition season about to begin, here are some words of wisdom via an article by Jonathan Minkoff. His no-nonsense approach towards a cappella critique is invaluable to our community, as it (rather bluntly sometimes) urges us to continue reinventing ourselves and not grow too attached to the tried and true.
Much of his writings and coaching sessions on competitions admittedly...
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OOTB makes de nouveaux amis
OOTB crosses the border into Canada.
Border Patrol (in a thick French accent): You were supposed to stop.
Aviva: What?
Border Patrol: You were supposed to stop at the line.
Aviva: Oh, sorry.
Border Patrol: So, why are you coming to Canada?
Aviva: We sing with an a cappella group, and…
Border Patrol: What the hell is a cappella?
#reachingnewaudiences
— Allison
Curious to...
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Music Marketing Resources: How to Run a Band
If you’re the business manager or president of an a cappella group, you know that running a successful group is only partly about making great music - it’s also about financing and marketing a small business. This is a series of posts highlighting our favorite music marketing resources.
How to Run a Band (howtorunaband.com)
How to Run a Band is a blog by musician Chris...
December 2011
17 posts
6 tags
Just Bought a 25 Dollar iTunes Giftcard
popappella:
Let’s just say I will be posting A LOT of new A Cappella in the new year :)
In which case you should give 16 Edgewood a try :). It will literally melt your face off.
Like, actually. Real talk. :|
Grab it from iTunes!
— Emmanuel
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5 tags
Anonymous asked: Loved the Music That Matters post, good stuff. What would be your first tips to somebody looking to arrange a cappella?
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Making Music That Matters
Kate, killing it on Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” during Parents Weekend Concert 2011.
Deke Sharon, considered the father of modern a cappella, has penned an earnest, moving piece over on the CASA blog that should be required reading for anyone with an interest in a cappella music. It’s partly a look back on how far we’ve come as a community, and a rallying cry for...
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Winter Tour 2012: Public Performances!
Photo: Effusion A Cappella of McGill University performing at the Rialto.
Wondering where OOTB will be when we’re back together on January 2nd? Want to catch a performance kick off your year?
Here is a list of our public performances - we hope to see you at one (or more)!
TUESDAY, JANUARY 3rd, 2012
BOLOCO JAM 6:00-7:30PM Boloco at 1080 Boylston Street (near Berklee) Boston, MA 02115...
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How to Brand Your A Cappella Group: Lessons from...
Redline homepage.
Thanks to shows like Glee and The Sing Off, a cappella has finally (arguably) broken into the mainstream. As a cappella gains a greater profile, we’re going to need to work harder to distinguish ourselves in creative, memorable ways. Redline from Boston are an example of a group that is doing exactly this.
The Logo
I discovered Redline this morning after spying their...
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16 Edgewood is streaming on Bandcamp!
<a href=”http://yaleootb.bandcamp.com/album/16-edgewood” _mce_href=”http://yaleootb.bandcamp.com/album/16-edgewood”>16 Edgewood by Yale Out of the Blue</a>
Curious about what 16 Edgewood (our newest album) sounds like?...
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OOTB is Performing at Boloco!
In less than 2 weeks we’ll be kicking off the new year with a performance at Boloco in Boston! We’re going to be performing a full jam set at their Berklee location, so you’ll get to hear everyone in the group and our newest arrangements, live!
After our first audition at Bristol Studios for A Cappella Armageddon, we stopped at Boloco for dinner. Harry, who is a Boston native...
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5 Ways the New YouTube Design Could Affect Your A...
It’s no exaggeration that YouTube is an important tool for a cappella groups. YouTube channels are a great way for groups to show off their talent to fans and potential clients. Recently, YouTube unveiled a new design that changes how the homepage works. What do these changes mean for your a cappella group?
1) Subscribers, subscribers, subscribers
Now more than ever, gaining more...
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OOTAlum Jonathan Bittner '07 (co-founder of... →
OOTB congratulates our own Jon Bittner (‘07) for making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list! Jon co-founded Splitwise with another OOTBite, Ryan Laughlin (‘12) as a way to help friends painlessly track shared expenses, and to make sure that everybody gets paid back.
— Emmanuel
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7 tags
BEHIND THE SCENES: The Album Art of 16 Edgewood,...
16 Edgewood (stream the album or go to album site) is Yale Out of the Blue’s 11th studio album, and a labor of love. Every detail of the album was carefully considered, right down to the album art, and I want to share the process of realizing the cover art, the CD and the liner notes.
The Cover
The album is named after the big brown house on 16 Edgewood in New Haven, CT, and it can be...
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Community Foundation for Greater New Haven... →
Image source: New Haven Register
Big news in the New Haven arts community today! Late multi-millionaire and New Haven native Richard L. English has left $20 million towards the enrichment of the city’s cultural life. It’s the largest endowment that the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven has seen in it’s 84 years. The gift will be split four ways:
40% for the New Haven...
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Congratulations, Yale 2016!
Yale Out of the Blue would like to congratulate and welcome the first members of the Class of 2016! So begins an incredible new chapter of your life, and we can’t wait to get to finally meet you in a year!
Interested in potentially singing or getting into the performing arts at Yale? Curious to learn what the heck a cappella is? Feel free to ask us a question! You can can also contact me...
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Anonymous asked: what were the songs sung at the ymc opeing ceremonies. i REALLY liked one but i dont remember what its called and i cant find it :(
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A Cappella Armageddon Competition Photoset! →
Pictures from A Cappella Armageddon!
—Emmanuel
Curious to know more about Yale Out of the Blue? Sign up for our mailing list or ask us a question!
11 tags
Capturing the Moment: The Art of Concert Posters
Music is a multi-sensory experience, and I think nothing quite captures the essence of the craft like music art. We make and collect concert posters, album art and other cultural artifacts about music in an attempt to hold on to the fleeting, fading memory of how a song moved us.
This poster is by design shop DKNG Studios for the band Phish, and after staring at it for an unhealthy amount of...
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Armageddon Winners!
OOTB is back from our all-Sunday trip to Boston, where we took third place in Bristol Recording Studios A Cappella Armageddon! We had a great time performing at The Middle East, a Boston nightclub, and meeting a ton of great groups. Congrats to Fermata Town, a group composed of Boston singers, and the Acapellics Anonymous from Emerson for their first and second place finishes. We won a bunch of...
November 2011
10 posts
1 tag
Thanksgiving Thanks
OOTB is thankful for our families (both relations and the OOTFamily), our friends near and far, and for the opportunity to sing and share our music! We’re thankful for our concert and afterparty with the Harvard Veritones, who are amazing musicians and people. And we’re thankful for our upcoming gigs, including the finals of A Cappella Armageddon!
We’re thankful for...
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We're Competing in the ICCAs!
Photo: Berklee’s Pitchslapped at the 2010 ICCAs.
More exciting news on OOTB’s competition front—we’ve been selected to compete in the International Championships of A Cappella! The ICCAs are the definitive collegiate a cappella competition in America. Here’s a short explanation of the different levels of competition:
Each year, our tournament takes place from...
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Bijou Results
We’re back from Bridgeport, where OOTB took second place overall and Sana Sharma won Best Soloist in the Bijou Blender! Congrats to Too Good For Instruments from CCSU on their first place finish and L’Shir from University of Hartford for their third place finish! We had a great time performing and meeting some new friends—it was awesome to get live criticism from Blue Jupiter as...
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iTunes and Bijou
OOTB is reaching new venues! You can now buy both of our most recent CDs, 16 Edgewood and Getting Wise, on iTunes—simply search “Yale Out of the Blue.” Remember, all of our music is downloadable on our website, and you can also get a (beautiful) physical copy of any of our CDs there as well.
If listening to us recorded just isn’t enough, come hear OOTB live in the Bijou...
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A band, the web and the real world →
Ben Siscovick describes how technology is enabling musicians and fans to find each other - in his case, how it earned Mumford & Sons a new fan.
True story.
The following tracks the story of my ever evolving relationship with an awesome up and coming band, Mumford & Sons. It showcases the awesome and actionable power of social media and the broader web. The story begins eight months ago...
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Finalists!
Turns out Luna is a good luck charm—OOTB made it to the finals of A Cappella Armageddon! Congratulations to the nine other finalists:
Emerson Acappellics Anonymous
BU Allegrettos
The Wellesley Blue Notes
The Middlebury Bobolinks
The BC Dynamics
Fermata Town
Harvard KeyChange
The Maine Steiners
Harvard Under Construction
We can’t wait to meet y’all! Anyone who lives in...
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A Cappella Armageddon!
Last night, OOTB headed up to Bristol Recording Studios to audition for the newest a cappella competition in the Boston area! After a stop at David Ottenheimer’s house (and the chance to meet Luna, the newest member of the family!), we took a circuitous route to downtown Boston and met up with some friends and family at the audition.
Bristol Recording Studios has worked with a cappella...
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Review: Yale Parents Weekend Concerts, October 29,... →
Jim Diego, CASA’s NYC ambassador, reviews our Parents Weekend concert! Check it out!
- Emmanuel
Curious to know more about OOTB? Sign up for our mailing list or ask us a question!
3 tags
Triassic Parq Workshop
Want to help shape the award-winning upcoming Off Broadway show, Triassic Parq (Winner: Best Musical at FringeNYC ‘10)? The Dramat has joined forces with the incredible team behind the show (including OOTAlum Lee Seymour ‘09) to organize a workshop for Yalies. Sign up for an audition!
More info/audition sign-up: yaledramacoalition.org/triassic_parq
When: Saturday October 5th
...
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November Competitions!
OOTB will be competing in two events over the next few weeks.
1) Bristol Recording Studio’s A cappella Armageddon
We’ll be heading up to Boston this Friday to compete in Bristol Recording Studio’s A cappella Armageddon competition. Want to help improve our chances of winning? Vote for us here!
2) Bijou Blender
Next Saturday, we’ll be bringing our music to the...
October 2011
8 posts
3 tags
Doesn't that sound familiar?
Axis of Awesome, the Australian musical comedy group, released a video for their hilarious parody “Four Chord Song”!
OOTB loves mashups (see our rendition of Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch“ for more evidence). Get Dre, our musical director, anywhere near a guitar, and we’ll get a jam session going. The Four Chord song is based on the idea that you can write a...
Summer Retreat 2011 Photoset! →
Right before the beginning of every school year, we congregate at one place to swap stories from the summer and get back into musical shape. This year, we stayed in this beautiful home in Prattsville, New York. Check out the facebook album!
- Emmanuel
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Watch“A Vast Emptiness” is my favourite song by The Willow and The Builder, the music project by Adrian Simon and Yalie Richard Miron.
It’s small, fragile, disarmingly earnest, and ultimately, strangely triumphant. You should listen to the entire album here: whywallow.com.
- Emmanuel
Curious to know more about OOTB? Sign up for our mailing list or ask us a question!
6 tags
3 Great Places to Find Spotify Playlists
You’ve probably heard about Spotify, the popular Swedish music-streaming service that finally made landfall in the United States three months ago. You’ve managed to score an invite, and you now have access to more music than you’ll ever be able to listen to … now what?
Playlists are a great way to keep the music in your song queue varied and interesting. Here’re...
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INTERVIEW: Zack O'Malley Greenburg (Yale Class of...
This week, we caught up with OOTB alum and Forbes writer Zack O’Malley Greenburg to chat about the unique role he plays in the music industry, and his new book, Empire State of Mind - a portrait of Jay-Z, one of the most enigmatic figures in the modern music business.
1) What do you do?
I’m a staff writer at Forbes, covering — improbably enough — personal finance and...
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OOTB performs at New Haven's Neighborhood Music...
This past Sunday afternoon, we performed at Neighborhood Music School (NMS) in New Haven. With over 3,000 students from the ages of 6 months to 80+ years, NMS is one of the ten largest community arts schools in the country.
Sunday was the centennial of NMS, marking one hundred years of commitment to accessible, high-quality instruction in music and dance. Out of the Blue was invited to sing...
Tap Night 2011 Photoset! →
We just got back from Haversham, Rhode Island, where we held our New Tap Retreat (pictures forthcoming) but for now, feast your eyes on the excitement of Tap Night 2011 in our facebook album!
September 2011
4 posts
7 tags
