The Sing-Off

I finally got hooked on a a reality competition tv show. I didn't catch every episode of "The Sing-Off" but what I saw was very entertaining. I liked that it was only one week long. This may change after the pilot season.

I was surprised to discover that enough a ccapella groups exist to make a show. I was also surprised that the terrible host obviously reading the teleprompters was Nick Lachey!

Tonight's show caught my attention because Boyz II Men was performing a mash-up of their hit songs when I tuned in. Shawn Stockman is one of the judges, as is Nicole Sherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, and (my favorite judge of the show) Ben Folds. I have to insert this interview quote from Ben Folds:

Did you ever expect to be working on a project with a Pussycat Doll?

I didn’t know what a Pussycat Doll was. I just met Nicole. We get along great. We don’t see the bands until they come up on stage, so there’s a lot of waiting time. She’s singing the whole time and she sings her ass off. Had I previously seen the Pussycat Dolls, she and her girlfriends on YouTube gyrating on top of cars, I’m not sure what I would have thought.

(Courtesy of the WSJ: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/12/16/the-sing-off-judge-ben-folds-explains-what-hes-doing-on-the-show/)

The two finalists, the Beelzebubs and Nota, were both great groups. I laughed out loud when one of the Beelzebubs members asked the backstage sound guy if he saw Nick Lachey because "he looked so hot!" Beelzebubs were incredibly energetic and must have a mastermind choreographer in their group. Each performance was refreshing and sharp. Nota offered the smooth singing, culturally influenced style of music. They were both very different.

Here's a sample of their performances.

Swell Season at Uptown

It was another evening escape from the daily grind of must work-must eat-must sleep at Uptown Theater in Kansas City. The charming theater with its bright, retro headline sign and ornate interior surprised me a second time with its selection of musical talent. An Australian Pink Floyd tribute band brought me to the theater the first time. An Irish band turned movie stars turned more popular Irish band, Swell Season, brought me to the theater this second time.

I didn't pay to see the theater, however; I paid to see Swell Season and consequently, the stars of the movie Once. It was worth it.

Glen Hansard, the lead singer, was impressive. Not only did he sing, he performed with the worn guitar featured in Once and simultaneously played the harmonica. The multi-talents were extended to the other band members. The entire band did a dance of musical chairs throughout the evening as they took on different instrumental roles.

Halfway through the show, I realized I was watching a live performance of the sequel to Once. It felt as if the ragged movie characters had made it big and were performing all over the world. To further toy with my imagination, the lead singer and star of Once was planning to return to Ireland to get married after the tour here in Kansas City. Very fitting.

Overall, the live show puts their cd to shame. The vocal and instrumental sound quality was incredible, as well as the thoughtful and entertaining anecdotal interjections. The song variety from the concert also outranks the limits of the cd capacity. I would love a live version of this night's musical performance.