Tag: Natural State of Mind

New Tunesday – May 7, 2019

Nothing proves that music is a great communication tool like this week’s new releases:

The Swingles

Only The Swingles could release a soundcheck video as beautiful as this.

The G-Men

Fresh off their excellent performance at the Playstation Theater for ICCA Finals, this University of Michigan standout released their semi-final performance of their winning set.

Six13

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Six13 shared this.

VoicePlay

There may never be another Prince, but at least we can still enjoy great covers like this one.

From the Roots

Captured during their performance at SING! Texas, From the Roots shares a Sylvan Esso cover.

Triforce Films

Take a break from the Starbucks cup dilemma to enjoy the GoT theme song done right, er, a cappella.

UNC Clef Hangers

When you’ve got a whole a cappella group at your disposal, why wouldn’t you include them in your proposal?

MICappella

Speaking of using a cappella to make a big announcement, this Singapore group used their music to make one of theirs.

FORK

Sometimes the news is less than great, but a music video is still the way to say it.

The Lost Keys

This NYC-based groups brought a little Pomplamoose influence to this Hall & Oates classic.

Flight Scene

You can never go wrong with an Amy Winehouse cover.

Natural State of Mind

This high school group out of Arkansas certainly has made the rounds this spring. This song is one of the most powerful from their competition set.

Arvada West Vocal Chords

Bringing things back to the chapel, this high school choir gives a modern take on the origins of a cappella with this Bon Iver cover.

Nor’easters Capture NACC Title as AEA Announces Huge News

Some of the best a cappella groups converged in Memphis this weekend to participate in the National A Cappella Convention for showcases, competitions, and educational sessions from the best in the business.

For the first time, the high school competition was swapped out for a showcase of ten top high school groups. While groups received full feedback from judges, the stress levels were reduced as no winner was named. Instead, the audience was the winner as each set was remarkable. With performances from groups like Limited Edition, Unstrumental, Forte, and G-E-T Vocal Point, this showcase was a true highlight of the weekend.

Saturday kicked off with a convention-wide TedTalk-like session from Convention founder and AEA President, Dr. J.D. Frizzell. His motivational talk put all attendees in the right mindset to learn and use their music to leave an impact on their audiences.

The day was a mix of classes, masterclasses, and more showcases, including performances from RESOUND, OneVoice, and Impromptu before the Convention came to a close with the Collegiate Invitational featuring:

EQ Blu
No Comment
The Green Tones
Voices In Your Head
The Nor’easters
Texas Songhorns
Mosaic Whispers
All-Night Yahtzee

With visually creative and emotional sets, the judges chose to honor:

Outstanding Aesthetic – All-Night Yahtzee
Outstanding Scene Painting – Voices in Your Head
Outstanding Choreography- UNT Green Tones
Outstanding Soloist – Anthony Rodriguez (The Nor’easters)

2nd Place: UNT Green Tones
WINNER: Nor’easters

The evening also featured a guest performance by Nomadic, the first group formed out of the June Foundation.

And just when we thought the weekend was over, Dr. Frizzell and Executive Producer A.J. Marino took the stage with a huge announcement – NACC would not happen in 2020. But before the audience could get too upset, Frizzell shared that the reason was that AEA will be hosting an even larger Convention in the Spring of 2021 in Orlando. Make your plans now, a cappella fans – it’s going to be the biggest event we’ve seen in a cappella yet.