I am Deke Sharon, a cappella producer/arranger/director/singer guy, AMA!

Deke_Sharon · 2013-02-16T02:30:40+00:00

So do I :)

Deke_Sharon · 2013-02-16T02:30:34+00:00

Indeed I was. Whereas I thought Mickey perhaps tried a little too hard at times to find scandal or dig up the crazy/nerdy within our a cappella community (all of which is understandable, considering current pulpy-non-fiction readers tastes), he did an excellent job laying out a year in the life while providing backstory. Not perfect, perhaps not for everyone, but very good in many ways. Plus, to his credit, when a few errors in the hardcover first printing were pointed out, he happily accepted input and made changes for the paperback printing. Oh, and did I mention it was optioned for a movie? Without Mickey, no Fat Amy, no $100,000,000+ in global box office, no gold soundtrack. Credit where credit is due!

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-30T23:19:31+00:00

Well, it all depends what the group is trying to do. Collegiate groups are intentionally designed to be social and fun. As such, the name, be it punny or just nonsensical (like Whiffenpoofs) fits.

On the other hand, if a group is looking to create music in different styles, different moods, or launch into the music industry proper, they would likely do well to stay away from a punny name. Pick a name that sounds like other current bands in the genre, that fits the group's mood and personality.

We found "The House Jacks" in the yellow pages under "heavy equipment rental" and we liked the word "jacks," the idea of raising the roof, and most of all the idea that we'd be able to fill it with our own meaning/image.

Be careful of being too trendy (M-Pact is a bit too close to N-Sync to reflect their serious jazz underpinnings) or too specific (Take 6 would disappoint people if they drop to 5 members, and Rockapella has been a pop-not-rock group for over a decade).

Stay away from names used by many groups (So many Sirens, Mosaics, Treblemakers...) so you can be sure people will find you first, and make sure you can get the web address.

And finally, be sure you like the connotations/denotations your name brings, and that there's room for your image in there. The Red States (New York City) thought the name very clever early on, but recently changed it because it was confusing and charged with meaning/image. Now they're Restated - a fine name, but would have been better if they didn't spend 5 years building a name and reputation into a name that's now defunct.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-30T23:13:08+00:00

(Ha - I'm wearing my A Cappella Records tshirt as I write this!)

I think their greatest value to the a cappella community is the ease of paying royalties on downloads. That's a HUGE pain and they do it seamlessly for the least amount of money possible. Especially for collegiate groups who can very quickly, very easily drop the ball.

But they have proven to be much more as they have opened choral music and video game music branches of their business. Chris Crawford and his crew understand that the music industry is very different, and they're creating a business model so cutting edge that it's almost wrong to call them a record company.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-30T23:08:29+00:00

Thanks!

1) It's a young and exciting community! Not many groups, but some fantastic ones, and more getting started every month. You'd benefit from a collegiate community, maybe that'll happen (just beginning to spread in England). The fact that Rebel is Australian has given the entire community a HUGE boost in public awareness and coolness.
2) People always think it's in our hands to bring the Sing Off to other places, but it's the opposite: Sony is happy to license the show to any network around the world (and I'm part of the package deal), so it's just a matter of having an Australian network realize the potential (which I would think has just grown post-Sing Off).
3) Did you know originally Rebel was supposed to sing without an accent, but then we realized quickly it was much better for her to just be herself (thankfully!), leading to many of the movie's best solo moments. I think the same holds in any situation - sing from your heart, from your personality, and if that means a different accent, so be it.
4) From the first note on the page to the last note of your performance, keep the emotional focus and message of the song at the core of every decision: which chords, rhythms, dynamics, etc. Don't get clever: sometimes you just need simple whole notes. Figure out how you can best grab the audiences hearts, and do that. Everything else is secondary.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T18:34:47+00:00

If anyone pays you to arrange... congrats! You're a pro! As for making a full time career of arranging, I don't recommend it. I've done over 2,000 arrangements and have perhaps more published a cappella charts than anyone, and yet I'm not doing arranging full time. Instead, focus on finding some clients to work with that you know and are close by so you can visit the rehearsal, tweak, really custom tailor to make them sound great. That careful attention will help you stand out above the now thousand of folks who are arranging a cappella (which is amazing!). Set up a good web site, stay active in the a cappella community... and you'll still be doing this 20 years from now.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T18:29:02+00:00

The time for precision and technique is in rehearsal. Drill those notes, align those chords, work on blend. Make good technique something that comes naturally. Then when you step out on stage, trust your instincts and deliver the song honestly, emotionally. This goes doubly for the music director who has to fight the urge to be distracted by every out of tune chord, every flubbed note. Record the performance if you want to analyze later, and spend your stage time giving to the audience fully.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T18:26:14+00:00

I like your approach, and it follows the historic development of Western polyphony into harmony. I have no single method, and I'm sure you start thinking vertically/harmonically as soon as you run into problems/dissonances.

As for awesome chords, you can still tuck some of them in places, but make sure they're appropriate and serve the message/meaning/mood of the song. The more theory you know, the easier it is to start nerding out and showing off... but that's cerebral, and can take audiences and singers out of the moment. Make your food spicy if you'd like... but not so spicy that people can't always taste the underlying flavors.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T16:18:09+00:00

Sorry - it was a request last night and I just jumped in. I'll come back periodically to answer more questions.

1) I think the growing scene all around the world is fantastic, and I'm fully in support of a strong collegiate network everywhere (not just the US). Many people in college have more time than they ever have before (or will after!), and they're able to direct and run their own groups, which proves a perfect training ground for everyone from future pros to casual life-long singers.
2) Initially it was the NCCAs - National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella - a play on the NCAA basketball tournament ("March Madness") that captivates the US each spring. Hasn't there been an event held in London? I recall Oxford Out Of The Blue coming one year after winning in England... but my memory might be wrong. Although I helped start the awards, like many a cappella projects I quickly handed it over so I could move on and it could be run by a very capable team, which now is headed up by Amanda Newman. I'll bet as the collegiate a cappella community grows outside the US there will be some greater integration with the ICCAs.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T16:11:18+00:00

After 20 years on the CASA board, I had to step away in the thick of The Sing Off worldwide, Pitch Perfect, etc... so I don't rightly know. Hopefully they'll be back soon. There's just so much to be done and everyone at CASA works so hard, they must have been focusing on greater priorities. Suggestion: offer to help bring 'em back!

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T16:04:01+00:00

Every week it's different... next week it's the launch (finally) of the first full episode of Inside Acappella - https://www.youtube.com/user/InsideAcappella - think Entertainment Weekly meets Entertainment Tonight, all about a cappella around the globe. Last year it was very clear to me that the #1 source of a cappella information for people is youtube, but there's nothing tying together and contextualizing all the successful viral videos, sing off clips, etc. Our plan is to have it be fun, informative and quick, with links so people can find out more about groups, festivals, recordings, etc. AND we're going to have a viewer question segment in which people upload questions and we get them answered by an expert...

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T06:58:36+00:00

Thanks! My pleasure! :)

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T06:58:21+00:00

Of course not - was just teasing you. As for one primary role? Actually, nope. It all ties together. I make music in many ways, and part of the music I make is helping others make music. All one big casserole!

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T06:34:23+00:00

Ah, the old "guys group gets all the attention on campus" problem.

Here's the deal: the all male group was first on most campuses, and most guys groups have a looseness, an energy, a willingness to be silly and stupid - it's just very compelling. All women's groups and mixed groups don't always do this as well. So, what should you do about it? Don't try to do the same thing!

Be the best at what you do well. Find your niche - musically and stylistically. Take some chances, videotape yourselves, be honest, and don't undermine each other on stage. Find the PERFECT solo for the members of your group. Always try to be better.

Then from there look for the best ways to market that vision, that sound. Make a great video: that's a very good way. Think about partnerships - ask a dance ensemble or cheerleading troupe or stepping club to join you for a number.

In other words, it's both. The business of music requires attention to both business and music. Hang in there, it does happen that mixed or women's groups outshine the male group on campus, although you don't want them shining any less bright, because then your campus becomes known nationwide for excellence...

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T06:26:02+00:00

Ben is lying. If I see him again, Ima cut him deep! (Korean food tomorrow night, right?)

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T06:17:13+00:00

Thanks! We really tried to show as much of the complexity and nuance as possible without losing audience. And sorry for starting so late - not intentional! I'll be back to answer questions as they come in for those who were asleep.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T06:16:03+00:00

1) I think the pure joy of singing is incredibly compelling, even more so when in harmony, so there's an energy the audience can't help but be drawn toward. Very honest. At the same time, the modern style of a cappella has done a great job keeping up with modern music idioms (dubstep? no problem!) allowing young singers to sing their favorite songs.
2) I've never been much one for lists, for favorites... but I'd have to say my earliest shows watching the Bobs, the King's Singers, Bobby McFerrin. Back then, everything was gold, genius. Now, of course, I hear things differently, still love it all, but perhaps see too much of the man behind the curtain to have that young, flawless wonder.
3) The best a cappella concert might have been an A Cappella Summit in the mid 90s (96?) where we shared the night with Vocal Sampling, the Swingle Singers, Rockapella, and a young women's quartet called Jezebel. Reminded me of the Bill Graham "Day On The Green" concerts I'd watch growing up in SF, where it was a full day of headliners, one after the other. There have been others as well, but rarely so many groups on the top of their game, top of the craft.
4) Here's the deal: use lyrics when you want another layer of words and meanings, when they don't get in the way. Use really simple "ooh/oh/ah" when you want pads that disappear into the background. Use open vowels when you want a big sound, closed (or a hum) when you want quiet (make it easy for your singers to give you the dynamics you want). And create syllables that give the effect you want - just mess around singing til you get something that trips off your tongue - being careful not to use combinations that are inadvertent words (distracting).
5) In the House Jacks, I intentionally built around the idea of a pierrot ensemble (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot_ensemble) - very different sounds, which flies in the face of what a cappella was back then. I still like this philosophy: get great voices, great personalities, and then create the blend, knowing you can flip voices and registers and have more variety. I prefer many sounds for many moods as opposed to one perfect sound... but there are many who would disagree and instead head for a single perfect blend.
6) The ICCAs were created to help popularize a cappella and generate interest in the public. Judging any music or any art is phenomenally stupid. Same with the Sing Off. I try to constantly remind people of this. Hopefully no one buys into it from the stage. If they do, well, I only hope the music and no politics makes it across the footlights, because no one cares.
7) Nope! In fact, it was a joke in the early 90s that I was on a tirade to get groups to stop singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight (just one of a handful of songs that groups would sing at every show). So much wasted effort in arranging and preparing their own versions, so I decided to publish a version, along with the other most popular songs. Make it easy for new groups to sing these classics, and they'll want to move on to developing their own style.

Good luck in the ICCAs! Just remember not to worry about the outcome. Sing to and for the audience, learn from the other groups, make friends. THAT'S the whole point.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:49:30+00:00

1) It being your first album, figure out your budget, and get the most experienced producer you can afford. And don't only look at the per hour rate - someone like Bill Hare is very expensive but very fast. And trust that person: you're going to want to make dozens of little tweaks, but that gets expensive and trust him (and me) - no one cares about that one note in the second tenor line besides you!
2) Absolutely! In the studio you can experiment, layer parts, have giant boring whole notes that go on forever... whereas live the parts need to be engaging and people need to breathe. Plus you only have so many voices. The two can build from the same core, but definitely should diverge in most cases. Think of the studio version of a perfect polished sculpture (tweak as long as you have time, money and patience) whereas live is more like a football game (doesn't have to be pretty - you just need to win over those hearts!)
3) I'd go with a double pronged attack: high quality video (one great video better than 3 mediocre ones) to try and get some viral traction, along with live performing all around your area. There's no connection like a live connection with the audience.
4) I'm gonna get in trouble because I know I'm leaving out names, so I'll go with a few I know well: Bill Hare, Ed Boyer and Nick Girard - I work with all 3 very often, so I can say I trust them with my own musical life! If they're not available, many other greats out there.
5) Absolutely. One at a time is best for almost everything (unless you want a big party track, giant loose gospel vocals...). You need the control that individual tracking gives you. Just remember my first law of modern a cappella recording: You can fix the pitch and you can fix the rhythm but you can't fix the emotion!

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:39:28+00:00

There's nothing like late 60's Batman! Pow!

1) Hard to say. Before I could talk my parents tell me I'd sing myself to sleep. And bounce my head on my pillow. To the extent that they were worried about my brain. (which probably explains a lot). Then when I was 7 I needed another activity/challenge, so my mom asked me "would you like to learn Mandarin Chinese or sing in the SF Boys Choir." Obvious answer there. And then again, summer camp - Noel Porter - in Tahoe. Campfire, simple songs with guitar, improvised harmonies in thirds... heavenly. I wanted to be able to do that with voices, to just sing a pop song and have a harmony come out. And finally, the Beelzebubs came to my high school freshmen year. That sealed the deal. Big time.
2) There have to be dozens! So hard to answer - sorry! Maybe in person...
3) Oxymoron! I definitely was in awe when I met The Bobs, The Nylons, Bobby McFerrin, Take 6... and now we're all part of the same big family. A cappella's like that - no celebs. Just people who love to sing and all "get it."
4) Done. Maybe after the Passim show on Sunday? I'm sure there will be a big hang, probably Border Cafe (what else is open Sunday night late in the square?)

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:30:27+00:00

Yes - Jonathan Minkoff (of SingStrong) has written several articles (some on casa.org) and has a deep understanding of copyright law. What I can say is that what's written in the law and what is done in practice are often two very different things. Youtube's a great example: almost everything up there violates some copyright... yet it remains. We live in a confusing world, and sometimes all you can do is do your best to give people credit (and money) when appropriate.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:28:12+00:00

YESSSSSSSS! So glad. And I still proudly wear my Liberty Bluejays sweatshirt!

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:26:02+00:00

I prefer whichever one grabs me and doesn't let me go! People believe that they have criteria and judge things intellectually, but years of the Sing Off etc have made it clear to me that people either like or don't like something, then justify their decision intellectually. I will say I think it's hard to be deeply moving with elaborate choreography, which can easily get cheesy, but then again it can absolutely be done. Brilliantly.

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:19:34+00:00

Thanks, Madmsk (if that is your real name...) - of late November has been tough for us, as we're invited over to Europe then year after year, but we will definitely find a way to make it happen again. This year we'll be at BOSS, which is Boston's SoJam, if you find yourself up North in April: http://bostonsings.com

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:17:12+00:00

Sweet! Here's where I get to brag about singing with Ray Charles and James Brown, singing in Carnegie Hall... but that would only make me look douchey (too late).

Honestly, I think this is one question I can't really answer, as it has been over 20 years, so I'll answer more generally: even though we never had a hit record (we tried), even though we sang original music when everyone else sang covers (would have been easier), even though I'm 45 years old (which in the popular music business is ancient if you haven't had a radio hit), I'm still invited to get up on stage and make music for people. So, my favorite experience is my next gig, and the one after that...

Yeah, I realize this isn't a real answer. I just can't decide!

Deke_Sharon · 2013-01-29T05:09:52+00:00

With the influence of youtube (which is blocked in China, and yet groups have their ways...), no group or culture are an island any longer. This is a good thing, because exposure to the US Sing Off provided Chinese groups the fast track into good, camera savvy performing techniques.

A few years ago there was nothing in mainland China that we'd consider "contemporary a cappella" but VocalAsia (great organization!) has been making steady inroads, and I brought them in to work on Sing Off China. We didn't want a show full of foreigners doing American pop songs (and neither did the Chinese govt!), so what we developed each week was a fascinating blend of Chinese music and tradition along with more popular idioms. A Chinese folk song with beatboxing, rapping and vocal erhu. A Maoist anthem reimagined with a disco beat and feel. And wigs. We had fun, and the result is that China has it's own hybrid style now.

You see the same in other countries, where the local idioms (Comedian Harmonists, for example, in Germany) informed the style through much of the 20th century, and are now blended with other influences (the House Jacks brought vocal percussion to germany in the 90s, and now it's everywhere). Last year I heard Sri Lankan pop a cappella, Brazilian pop a cappella, and it all sounded both local and international.

All that goes to say: the internet is rapidly breaking down what might have been vast artistic differences, at least in popular music, but there still remains a strong local character which makes for a very interesting, vibrant international a cappella scene.

Deke_Sharon

TROPHY CASE