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Originally Posted by shakran
there's a midwest based group called Tonic Sol Fa that just signed with a for-real label (i wanna say Sony). First a-capella group ever to do it without agreeing to add instruments. They're pretty good.
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Just searched, looks like they are signed to Vivaton Records, which as far as I can tell is an independent.
<a href="http://www.housejacks.com/">The House Jacks</a> were signed with Tommy Boy Records (Warner Brothers) back around 1997 or so, but the dicks never released the album. THJ eventually had to buy back their masters in order to get the album released, and after that half of the group quit. They still exist, and still rock, but it isn't the same.
The House Jacks pioneered the "vocal band" style of contemporary a cappella. To quote off of the Hot Lips website:
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So what makes a vocal band different from a barbershop quartet, a doo-wop group, or other types of a cappella ensembles? There seem to be a few defining characteristics, as follows:
They sing with microphones, a mixing board, and a good sound engineer as essential pieces of the show. Barbershop quartets and classical groups, such as the King's Singers, perform a cappella truly "in the style of the chapel" - unaided by electronics. Many contemporary vocal bands, in fact, use electronic assistance to achieve amazing effects with their voices, including vocal percussion that sounds like a full drum set, wailing blues guitar solos, and bass undertones.
They perform like a band. With the benefit of mikes and monitors, they no longer need to huddle to blend, as other a cappella groups must. They fill the stage, providing a complete audiovisual experience as they move and dance to the groove as they sing. In other words, they have as act like a band.
They sound like a band. The growing use of vocal percussion along with creative arranging (an essential component for any successful vocal band) can make five of six voices sound like there's nothing missing from the traditional pop music experience. One of the most common comments when people hear vocal bands for the first time is, "I can't believe there's no music!" This drives vocal bands crazy, as, of course there's plenty of great music, there's just no instruments!
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There aren't any full downloads on the House Jacks site, but check out the vocal drumming on this MP3 clip from their original
Tear Down the Walls. Also, I should probably include a cover version, so here's an excerpt from
Kashmir.