Rockapella Brings Holiday Show To Wabash
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Rockapella formed around 1986. During a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon, Rockapella chief songwriter, arranger and architect Scott Leonard said the group was more casual before 1991. Leonard joined the group in 1991, the same year Rockapella did the theme song for “Carmen Sandiego”. The show lasted from 1991 to 1996.
Leonard said it’s because of that television show that the group became a “full-time thing” for its members. Since its inception, Rockapella has had a dozen different members, but now the group can carefully handpick its members.
Since joining, Leonard is the most senior member. Jeff Thacher, vocal percussionist, joined in 1993. They were followed by George Baldi III, bass in 2002; John K. Brown, tenor, in 2004; and Steven Dorian, tenor, in 2010.
Rockapella has technically never been better than it is now, Leonard said. The music and humor are still there, and better, but the staging also has grown.
Despite the other a cappella groups out there, Leonard said there is no one at the level of Rockapella. Rockapella was the first contemporary a cappella group to come out of the collegiate tradition.
“It’s amazing to travel the world and see how popular it is,” Leonard said. “It’s fun to watch.”
He said there isn’t any competition among the a cappella groups. Many of them want to achieve the kind of success that Rockapella has attained.
In 2010, Rockapella released a CD, “Bang”, of 13 all-original songs. The group recently released its third holiday CD titled “Rockapella Holiday”. Leonard said it contains one original holiday song and a bunch of holiday favorites people would know, including hymns.
He said the hymns were added because Rockapella has been touring with the Boston Pops this year.
“It’s really a treat,” Leonard said of performing with the Boston Pops.
Rockapella started singing with the Boston Pops and other symphonies a few years ago, Leonard said. They have toured with the Pops infrequently.
Growing up in Indianapolis, Leonard said he anticipated the Boston Pops special every year growing up, so getting to perform with them is a delight.
“I may just retire after that,” Leonard joked.
As the principal songwriter of Rockapella, Leonard said he approaches songwriting for the group the same way one would for a band.
“You have drums, bass, melody and then you fill out the chords for the two other guys,” he said.
It’s really no different than writing songs for a band, he said, except arrangement. “Approaching writing a song is really the same,” he said.
On their CD “Bang”, Rockapella covers Vampire Weekend’s “A-Punk”. Part of the reason Leonard said he wanted to cover the song was because it was so quirky and different. He said he only wants to do covers if they can offer something new to a song. With “A-Punk”, he said they were able to approach it as Rockapella but still make it feel like a Vampire Weekend song.[[In-content Ad]]Besides Rockapella, Leonard also has a solo career. His last two solo albums were “One Man, One Mic” and “Tokyo, Japan”.
The Japanese record company Leonard was with suggested he do the “One Man, One Mic” album, while “Tokyo, Japan” was his tribute to Japan, a country important to his life.
But all members of Rockapella are seasoned performers, he said. For their live shows, audiences get to see what makes the group who they are, Leonard said.
“You have to convince people it’s just your mouth,” he said, and not instruments.
The group has high energy, and a cocky approach to entertainment, but mixed with their love of music and performing.
“I see no end to Rockapella in site for me personally,” he said. “I can see my great-great-grandchildren in Rockapella. We have our own sound.”
In 2012, Leonard said Rockapella will be releasing a theme-covered album and have a new show. The theme will be unveiled soon, he said.
Rockapella will perform its “A Rockapella Holiday” concert at the Honeywell Center in Wabash Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available now and are $15, $25 and $35.
“I always love coming back to Indiana because I am from there,” Leonard said. “I’m sure I’ll see people I know and haven’t seen in awhile.”
On the Net:
www.rockapella.com
www.honeywellcenter.com
Rockapella formed around 1986. During a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon, Rockapella chief songwriter, arranger and architect Scott Leonard said the group was more casual before 1991. Leonard joined the group in 1991, the same year Rockapella did the theme song for “Carmen Sandiego”. The show lasted from 1991 to 1996.
Leonard said it’s because of that television show that the group became a “full-time thing” for its members. Since its inception, Rockapella has had a dozen different members, but now the group can carefully handpick its members.
Since joining, Leonard is the most senior member. Jeff Thacher, vocal percussionist, joined in 1993. They were followed by George Baldi III, bass in 2002; John K. Brown, tenor, in 2004; and Steven Dorian, tenor, in 2010.
Rockapella has technically never been better than it is now, Leonard said. The music and humor are still there, and better, but the staging also has grown.
Despite the other a cappella groups out there, Leonard said there is no one at the level of Rockapella. Rockapella was the first contemporary a cappella group to come out of the collegiate tradition.
“It’s amazing to travel the world and see how popular it is,” Leonard said. “It’s fun to watch.”
He said there isn’t any competition among the a cappella groups. Many of them want to achieve the kind of success that Rockapella has attained.
In 2010, Rockapella released a CD, “Bang”, of 13 all-original songs. The group recently released its third holiday CD titled “Rockapella Holiday”. Leonard said it contains one original holiday song and a bunch of holiday favorites people would know, including hymns.
He said the hymns were added because Rockapella has been touring with the Boston Pops this year.
“It’s really a treat,” Leonard said of performing with the Boston Pops.
Rockapella started singing with the Boston Pops and other symphonies a few years ago, Leonard said. They have toured with the Pops infrequently.
Growing up in Indianapolis, Leonard said he anticipated the Boston Pops special every year growing up, so getting to perform with them is a delight.
“I may just retire after that,” Leonard joked.
As the principal songwriter of Rockapella, Leonard said he approaches songwriting for the group the same way one would for a band.
“You have drums, bass, melody and then you fill out the chords for the two other guys,” he said.
It’s really no different than writing songs for a band, he said, except arrangement. “Approaching writing a song is really the same,” he said.
On their CD “Bang”, Rockapella covers Vampire Weekend’s “A-Punk”. Part of the reason Leonard said he wanted to cover the song was because it was so quirky and different. He said he only wants to do covers if they can offer something new to a song. With “A-Punk”, he said they were able to approach it as Rockapella but still make it feel like a Vampire Weekend song.[[In-content Ad]]Besides Rockapella, Leonard also has a solo career. His last two solo albums were “One Man, One Mic” and “Tokyo, Japan”.
The Japanese record company Leonard was with suggested he do the “One Man, One Mic” album, while “Tokyo, Japan” was his tribute to Japan, a country important to his life.
But all members of Rockapella are seasoned performers, he said. For their live shows, audiences get to see what makes the group who they are, Leonard said.
“You have to convince people it’s just your mouth,” he said, and not instruments.
The group has high energy, and a cocky approach to entertainment, but mixed with their love of music and performing.
“I see no end to Rockapella in site for me personally,” he said. “I can see my great-great-grandchildren in Rockapella. We have our own sound.”
In 2012, Leonard said Rockapella will be releasing a theme-covered album and have a new show. The theme will be unveiled soon, he said.
Rockapella will perform its “A Rockapella Holiday” concert at the Honeywell Center in Wabash Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available now and are $15, $25 and $35.
“I always love coming back to Indiana because I am from there,” Leonard said. “I’m sure I’ll see people I know and haven’t seen in awhile.”
On the Net:
www.rockapella.com
www.honeywellcenter.com
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