2008 Bay Area Regional Winners: Where’s GesualdoWhere’s Gesualdo is an a cappella quartet based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its members have performed and / or recorded Andy Williams, Bobby McFerrin, Chanticleer, Dave Gruisin, David Grisman, Don Shelton, John Williams, Jose Feliciano, Mark Murphy, Michael Tilson Thomas, Phil Mattson, Richie Cole, Stanley Jordan, and Frank Zappa, among others. They've also sung on video games such as Guitar Hero, Karaoke Revolution, Dance Dance Revolution, and Garage Band. 2008 Bay Area Regional: Second Place Sweet DeliveranceSweet Deliverance has been singing Christian a cappella for over 30 years. Members have changed over the years but the tradition of tight harmonies and praise to our Lord has not. This semi-professional group is based in the San Francisco bay area and tours primarily in California. Sweet Deliverance is excited about the oportunity to compete in this years harmony sweepstakes competition. 2008 Bay Area Regional: Third Place UnderAgeUnderage is a group of four young ladies (ages 17-20) singing a cappella 4-part harmony, mostly in the barbershop style. They have been working and performing together for five years. Each girl is an accomplished vocalist in her own right, thus making their sound strong, full and mature. In July of 2005, in Greenville, South Carolina they won the highest honor for women under 25 years of age in the Sweet Adelines Organization, that of Young Women in Harmony International Champions. Other 2008 Bay Area Regional Competitors Curious BlendCurious Blend brings together five a cappella voices into one delicious blendified sound that makes your ears say "yum!". Our repertoire includes a curious blend of genres including vocal jazz, pop, country, and more... including original songs. Flying Without InstrumentsFWI (yes, we say ‘fwee’) was formed ten years ago by former members of a Bay Area chorus who wanted to sing whatever they liked, regardless of genre, relevance, trendiness, or, very occasionally, taste. The result is a refreshingly diverse repertoire ‘from the ridiculous to the sublime,’ which includes Renaissance and classical music, swing, jazz, country, folk, pop and, of course, rock. FWI produced its second CD this year, ‘FWI Will Rock You,’ with music by Bach and Stroope as well as Nine Inch Nails and Evanescence.  RedshiftRedshift is a 7 member vocal group based in the Bay Area, California. We've been entertaining people for ten years with a wide repertoire, featuring everything from alternative rock to Weird Al. We sing at various public and private events throughout the Bay Area, at schools, bookstores, coffee shops, and community centers.  Richter ScalesFormed in 2000, the Richter Scales are a group of like minded thirty-somethings who find a few hours each week to sneak away from their jobs and families to, well, sing. They sing jazz songs and pop songs, fast songs and slow songs, old standards and brand new originals. Their debut album "We Hate A Cappella" features "I Got Mail" (runner up for the Contemporary A Cappella Recording award for Humor Song of the Year) and the title track, which was specifically written for the 2004 Harmony Sweepstakes. More recently, their internet video "Here Comes Another Bubble", swept the blogosphere last December, garnering over one million views in the first week of its release. The group ordinarily numbers sixteen, but for special occasions (such as when the rules absolutely require it), they can shrink down to eight. Usually the loudest eight.  The Irrationals / The Rat TrioNo, nothing to do with the Rat Pack, but Frank, Dean, and Sammy ain’t got nothin’ on us! The Rat Trio was born out of the need for intelligent music without the burden of making sense. Aficionados of a fine non-sequitur, we’re the Minute Rice of the a cappella set. By all accounts, Gwen ‘What the Hell was I Thinking?’ McElwee is damn good. She prefers to be referred to as “Diva,” but will respond to “Hey you!” Which is fortunate, since she’s still searching for the real singer inside of her. Sam ‘It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time’ Rogers is also known as The One Mouth Band. Forging new ground in a cappella music, Sam was the first solo act to compete against groups, and due to U.S. rules, had to go to Europe to do so. Not that he’s bitter or anything – he won stuff. Dr. Tim ‘Brutally Optimistic but Not All There’ Lukaszewski prefers to sing songs about love gone bad. His mind is made up…but the rest of him is real.  TonicEffectTonicEffect brings together five talented Bay Area musicians who have turned their shared love of music and late night cocktails into a compelling vocal sound. This dynamic new group blends tight harmonies with a mix of edgy modern music and a shot of vocal percussion. Straight up or with a twist, TonicEffect rocks! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
