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The Academical Village People (AVP) is an a cappella group at the University of Virginia founded in 1993 by a group of people who vowed to "never take themselves too seriously." [1] They set themselves apart from other groups by being able to keep professional while maintaining their lax attitude, wild antics while performing, and their less traditional uniform of a garage mechanic style shirt. The name "Academical Village People" comes from Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at the university in Charlottesville, Virginia. [2] As of 2017, AVP, as it is often called for short, has released thirteen studio albums, including a greatest hits album, DECADEmical: Best of 1993-2003, of its first ten years in existence. [3] The group has recorded many notable performances such as opening for Dana Carvey [4] and Girl Talk, performing for Reba McEntire at the White House, concerts at the Kennedy Center, and performances in such countries as England, Spain, and Scotland. [5]
In May 1993, a few first-year (i.e., freshman) students at the University of Virginia gathered in the bathroom on the first floor Old Cabell Hall to sing together. All of them had been involved in other musical organizations such as University Singers, the Virginia Glee Club, or the First Year Players in previous semesters, and each also did not quite fit the mold of the other UVA a cappella groups, the Hullabahoos and/or the Virginia Gentlemen. They sang a few songs together like Billy Joel's "The Longest Time", and "In the Still of the Night". They realized their potential as a group, made the decision to meet together again in the fall. The following fall brought many challenges. It was very difficult for them to regain everyone's interest after a long summer and to start something completely new at the university, but they were able to get eight people back together: Adam Nierow, Tom Nassif, Tim Dobiac, Rob Blatt, Kelly Caylor, Nick Comerford,
Tim Withers, and Andrew Oh. The eight of them practiced regularly, chose the name "Academical Village People," and gave the first concert during the fall semester of 1993. Upon returning after winter break, Andrew Oh had decided to leave the group. Based on this decision, along with other reasons, Tim Dobiac also decided to walk away. Being reduced to six, the founders of AVP were very nervous to continue what they had started. They accepted four new members during their first set of auditions, Dave Davick, Doug Min, Matt Svoboda, Scott Zetlan, and the group that is the Academical Village People began its journey.
The name "Academical Village People" was not the only one considered by the founders. The official name was almost "The Lawn Boys", named after The Lawn at the University of Virginia. Other names that were thrown about were "Second Nature", because all of the founders were second-year students, and "Bucolic Chihuahuas". After much debate, the six of them decided to call themselves "The Academical Village People", after the name Thomas Jefferson gave to the oldest part of the University of Virginia, The Academical Village. Although the founders were concerned about being confused as a rap group, or being associated with The Village People, the name has stuck, and to this day AVP is still a successful college a cappella group. [6] [ better source needed ]
Every member of AVP receives a nickname to be patched onto his garage shirt at his second concert with the group. Traditionally, a secret email thread is created behind those receiving their new nicknames, and the rest of the group decides on a name. Nicknames can be anything from the person's last name to something completely bizarre.[ citation needed ]
After every weekend of auditions, the members of the group create a class name to be given to those selected to be in the group from that weekend's pool of auditions. Examples include "The Fortunate Frenchman", "Satanic Turkeys", and "Barefoot Pimpin' Part 3". [7] [ better source needed ]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2020) |
Every semester at the University of Virginia, male students have the opportunity to audition and potentially become a member of AVP. Those interested come prepared with a verse and chorus of a song of their choosing. They are asked to sing scales, do ear training exercises, and sing their prepared piece. Callbacks for the group consist of going out to lunch or spending time with the group at the AVP house in order to get to know all of them followed by an intensive day in which those called back learn a part to a song in AVP's current repertoire, then have their own individual callback audition. [8] [ better source needed ]
The group holds two concerts each year, one in the Fall semester and one in the Spring Semester. Each concert typically consists of around 15 songs, a video presentation, a skit presentation, and a guest group performance. The members traditionally wear khaki pants, denim shirts, and "wacky" ties for the first half, and their garage shirts for the second half.
Village Jam is a charity concert held by The Academical Village People in February. The first village jam was held in 2005 to aid those affected by Hurricane Katrina. It has since become an annual concert. Each year it is held, the members at the time choose a worthy cause in which to donate all of the profits from the show.
Dorm sings are events in which AVP, often with other a cappella groups at the University of Virginia, get together and travel to the two main areas of freshman dorms to perform. These events offer freshmen students with a great opportunity to see the groups of UVA just outside their homes, and they are most often held on Wednesday nights.
Every fall semester, the members of the Academical Village People traditionally spend their fall breaks going on a road trip together visiting other colleges, performing notable concerts, such as opening for Dana Carvey in Philadelphia in 2008, and just having a good time together.
AVP has been recording studio albums since their debut album Hoos Your Daddy? in 1994. The group's first five CD's were recorded at Virginia Arts Recording in Charlottesville, VA by Paul Brier, with the assistance of Ken Hutton during the recording of Calabash!. Throughout the production of these five albums, AVP was in search of the company that would provide the best mixing for its tracks. Hoos Your Daddy? was mixed by Paul Brier at Virginia Arts Recording, Maniac Bus Driver by Ray Salyer at Candock Recording Studios in Myrtle Beach, SC, Calabash! at Back Pocket Studios in New York City, NY, ¡Gracias, Por Favor! by Ken Schubert at Cue Recording in Falls Church, VA, and Room Zero by Bill Hare at Bill Hare Productions in Milpitas, CA.
Beginning with the tracks "Here's to the Night" and "Doin' Time (Summertime)"" on DECADEmical: Best of 1993-2003, James Gammon, a member of the group at the time, began recording the tracks for the group's CD's. Gammon recorded edited the entirety of Scantily Plaid, then it was shipped out to Bill Hare to be mixed. Academical is Not a Word was a transitional project in that Gammon recorded all of the tracks, and mixed a handful of them himself, the remainder being mixed again by Bill Hare. James Gammon went on to start his own business once he graduated from the university and from the group. Since this moment, all of AVP's albums have been fully recorded and mixed by James Gammon at James Gammon Productions.
The Academical Village People generally consists of between 13 and 18 members all ranging from 1st-years to 4th-years at UVA.
The Hangovers are a men's collegiate a cappella ensemble based at Cornell University. Founded in 1968, they are the oldest active a cappella group on campus and are the official a cappella subset of the Cornell University Glee Club, itself the oldest student organization of any kind at Cornell University. The Hangovers' repertoire consists mainly of popular songs arranged for the ensemble by its members and alumni, but the group also performs traditional Cornell songs, as well as selections from the Glee Club repertoire on occasion.
Collegiate a cappella ensembles are college-affiliated singing groups, primarily in the United States, and, increasingly, the United Kingdom and Ireland, that perform entirely without musical instruments. The groups are typically composed of, operated by, and directed by students. In the context of collegiate a cappella, the term a cappella typically also refers to the music genre performed by pop-centric student singing groups. Consequently, an ensemble that sings unaccompanied classical music may not be considered an a cappella group, even though technically it is performing a cappella.
The Hullabahoos are a student-run, all-male a cappella group at the University of Virginia. The group was founded in 1987 by Halsted Sullivan and recorded its 19th studio album in 2014. They have appeared as the fictional group "Here Comes Treble" on an episode of NBC's The Office, performed at the 2004 Republican National Convention, Washington Nationals baseball games, Good Morning America, the Philippines, weddings, and private parties. Other performance requests have included invitations from the White House, the Kennedy Center, and NBC's The Today Show.
The Stanford Mendicants are an all-male a cappella group at Stanford University. The group is Stanford University's first a cappella group. Since its founding in 1963, the group's size has varied from 6 to 19 members. Although they are strictly an a cappella group today, they have performed with instruments in previous generations. The group prides itself on singing a wide range of songs, from gospel to barbershop to pop tunes and original compositions. The Mendicants are known around Stanford's campus for their red blazers and romantic serenades.
Redhot & Blue, usually called Redhot or RHB, is Yale University's oldest all-gender a cappella group. Founded in 1977, the group has released 17 albums. It regularly tours the United States, and it tours internationally once a year, to locations such as China, Japan, France, Italy, and Brazil. The group’s repertoire is based in the jazz genre, but has expanded to include an array of musical styles. Redhot is a member of the Singing Group Council of Yale.
The Tufts Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", is a male a cappella group of students from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song". Founded in 1962, they have toured in Europe, Asia, South America, and North America, and they competed on NBC's The Sing-Off in December 2009, finishing in second place.
VoiceMale is a masculine-centered a cappella group based out of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Tracks from VoiceMale albums Propeller (2003), Ain't Done Overnight (2006), and Where's the Album? (2008) have appeared on the Best of Collegiate A Cappella (BOCA) compilation albums. In 2004, VoiceMale also received the award for Best All-Male Album of the Year from the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA) for their work on Propeller. Founded by Jonathan Berkowitz '97, Joshua Namias '97 and Samrat Chakrabarti '97.
Voices in Your Head is a student-run a cappella group from the University of Chicago who aim to "push the bounds of contemporary a cappella." Founded in 1998, the group has consisted of both undergraduate and graduate students whose studies range from Economics to Music to MD/PhD programs. Its unique repertoire includes original pieces, as well as an eclectic mix of pop, R&B, rock, and alternative music. Voices competes regularly in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and releases studio recordings of their arrangements.
DJs A Cappella is one of the 15 officially recognized a cappella groups of the University of Michigan, according to the Michigan A Cappella Council. Created in 1998, the group continues to perform a cappella music in Ann Arbor, MI and around the country, as well as in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. The group is notable for being featured on three Best of Collegiate A Cappella recordings, as well as hosting Acappellooza, a well-known annual invitational concert. The group is coed and entirely self-run and self-funded.
The Stanford Harmonics are a co-ed a cappella group from Stanford University. Known for their alternative rock repertoire and award-winning recordings, the Harmonics have garnered international recognition for their performances and have been featured on BOCA, Sing, and Voices Only a cappella compilations. The Harmonics are one of the few collegiate a cappella groups that own their own wireless microphone equipment and have developed a live performance style that includes the use of electronic distortion and sound effects.
The Virginia Belles is the University of Virginia's oldest all-female a cappella group based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The group was established in 1977 by Katherine Mitchell as the female counterpart to the Virginia Gentlemen, the university's oldest a cappella group. Completely student-run, the Belles continue to perform an eclectic range of vocal music from oldies and classic rock to indie and R&B. They sing in and around Charlottesville, and up and down the East Coast and all across the U.S., and have received awards and honors from internationally acclaimed organizations such as the Contemporary A Cappella Society, Varsity Vocals, and the Recorded A Cappella Review Board.
Not Too Sharp is an all-male a cappella group from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, USA. Begun in 2002, the 9-12 man group performs live on the college campus, at other groups’ venues, and in the New Hampshire community. Their annual benefit show supports the American Cancer Society. The ensemble has previously competed twice in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in 2015 and 2018. The Recorded Acappella Review Board says of Not Too Sharp, “All male, slightly goofy and possessed of an infectious energy… Charisma just drips out of the speakers.” In 2010, the group was presented with a "Best of New Hampshire" award for contemporary a cappella.
The Brown Derbies is an a cappella group at Brown University. They were founded by Darryl Shrock in 1982 and have released fourteen albums. They sing a variety of different genres, ranging from Rock, to Pop, to R&B and are known in the a cappella community for their unique use of syllables in the background vocals. They have toured throughout the United States and internationally, with recent performances in Beijing, China, Shanghai, China, and New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1997, the group performed for President Bill Clinton at the White House. In November 2007, they were featured on the CBS Early Show in a segment about the rising popularity of a cappella groups on college campuses, and in July 2011 they were featured on the Gospel Music Channel reality show America Sings. In January 2012, they performed in the London A Cappella Festival.
BYU Noteworthy is a seven to nine-member, female Brigham Young University (BYU) a cappella group, based in Provo, Utah, United States. They won 1st place at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) in 2007 and appeared on the first season of NBC's a cappella competition reality show The Sing-Off in 2009. Esther Yoder formed the group in 2003, aided by members of BYU's Vocal Point. Noteworthy began operating under the direction of the Performing Arts Management (PAM) at BYU in 2014. One of their most popular music videos is a cover of Amazing Grace, which won the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CARA) award for Best Religious Video and has garnered millions of views on YouTube since its release. Noteworthy has released six albums since its formation in 2003. In 2018, Noteworthy performed "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" for a Mormon Message for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Dartmouth Aires is an Ivy League a cappella group from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The group rose to fame in the third season of the NBC musical competition The Sing-Off, placing runner-up behind international a cappella sensation Pentatonix.
The Northwestern Undertones are a 20-member co-ed collegiate a cappella group from Northwestern University in Evanston. Founded in 2001 by Jeni Noerenberg, the group was originally called Something Old, Something NU, but the name changed within a year.
The Chordials is a collegiate all-gender a cappella group from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. They are known for their edgy and passionate style, and perform a broad variety of music genres ranging from rock to alternative/indie to pop.
The Pitchforks of Duke University, commonly referred to as "The Duke Pitchforks" or just "The Pitchforks", is Duke University's oldest continuing a cappella group. (In the late 1960s, there was a previous Duke men's group called "Chanticleer". The Pitchforks constitute one of Duke's two current all-male ensembles. Founded in 1979 with four members of a Duke Medical School quartet, the Pitchforks have performed across the world; they have sung for the Chicago Bulls and Durham Bulls, performed for Duke Men's Basketball, showcased for the Queen of Jordan, and opened for artists such as Ben Folds and The Band Perry.
Stanford Counterpoint is an all-femme a cappella group from Stanford University. It is the second-oldest a cappella group from Stanford.
The CU Buffoons is the oldest collegiate a cappella group at the University of Colorado-Boulder, founded in 1962 by Dr. Oakleigh Thorne II with help from Don Grusin and Roger Nelson. The group has consisted of anywhere from 8-20 undergraduate and graduate students throughout its over 60-year history, with new members being auditioned at the start of every fall semester. With arranging being done in house by current and former group members, their repertoire consists of covers of pieces from a wide variety of musical genres, including jazz, rock, RnB, pop, show tunes, and more, and is constantly updated with new arrangements of more recent songs.