A Fantastic Trip to Penn. . .

Steve-O and I had a fantastic time at U Penn Off The Beat’s fall show, especially the part where we got a copy of the new CD they released! There were a ton of alumni there so we got to see some old friends and make some new ones, as well as check out the 09-10 group. Our personal fave was Alex Friedlander (a.k.a. the white guy with dreds) as Bono.

After the show we went out for a few drinks, such that drinking for fun is possible at Penn, and were delighted to find that our (read:my) car had been locked into the parking garage where it was napping.

Fortunately, my car’s CD player works! I thought it might have broken due to irrelevance and neglect. We rocked out to Evitative, OTB’s latest joint, while we waited for the Penn Police (no, seriously) to let us out of the car cage, then headed back to the Residence Inn and got crackin’ on the pictures and video we got. Half a bottle of Maker’s and an episode of Mad Men later, it was 2:47 and time for bed.

Thanks to OTB for having us down, and congrats on the BOCA nod guys!!! Video coming soon. . . .

An Open Letter to Our Listeners

In October 2008, Rymachine and I took an incredible trip through the creamiest bit of New England, winding through hill and glade, witness to an explosion of peak fall color all the while. The end of our trek was Dartmoth College, the most rustic and natural of the Ivies, and the Dodecaphonics 20th Anniversary Concert that we’d been invited to record. We had a wonderful time at Dartmoth, but tragically one of our tapes was lost in the process of packing our gear to leave, a horrible embarrassment which led to weeks of procrastination. Weeks turned to months, and procrastination turned into resignation ultimately resulting in the Sopranos-like hiatus of Acappella U as a whole.

Finally, after receiving a particularly heartbreaking letter from a student, we decided we couldn’t let Acappella U end on such a sad, despondent note. Episode 4 is a compilation of the footage we DO have from our fantastic Dartmoth experience, and though it’s certainly not as dynamic a piece as it might have been with the lost tape, it’s far better than the big pile of nothing Allie and all of her wonderful Dodecas have had this last 13 months.

Tackling a project like Acappella U when it’s been neglected for over a year is no easy feat, particularly when there are now so many wonderful a cappella podcasts to listen to. If you’re still interested in hearing us blast collegiate a cappella goodness across the internets, please click this link to send us an email and let us know!

- Joey

P.S - We just uploaded Acappella U Episode 53 and Acappella U:HD Episode 4!! We’re still working the bugs out with the media player for the website, but they’re up on iTunes for free or you can download them directly by clicking ‘download’ below!

Acappella U:HD Episode 4 - Dartmoth Dodecaphonics

‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ - OPB Whitney Houston
‘Happy Endings’ - OPB MIKA

Arranger & Soloist have been lost to antiquity. . . if anyone knows, please email acappellau at mac dot com and we’ll update the notes!

 Podcast Video: Download

Episode 53

Now that he’s gotten the global economy back on track, Joey hath returned, so stop worrying your pretty little heads about weather he was doing hard labor in a gulag, was dead, etc. . It’s the most wonderful time of the year, with the fall semester starting on college campuses everywhere, including Acappella U. In fact, we have a big announcement - the first scholarly work in the history of the University. More of a discovery really. We also ‘discover’ Mouth Off, a REAL a cappella podcast. Join us for some Capri Suns, spiral notebook party invites and a cappella tunes.

‘Don’t Stop Believing’ - Journey / USC SoCal VoCals
‘Chicago’ - Sufjan Stevens / NYU APC Rythym - arr. Emily Gu - thanks Josh!
‘The Luckiest’ - Ben Folds / USC Reverse Osmosis
‘Bad is Bad’ - Huey Lewis / Tufts Amalgamates
‘Day Dripper’ - The Beatles / Tufts Amalgamates

 Enhanced Podcast: Download