Behind the Scenes A lot of people know about PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But few know about a new mental health issue, called Post-Harmonics Boostage Disorder. It is a rare disease, often affecting 13 incredible, amazing, unbelievable people in a select group of Stanford University, referred to as 'the Harmonics.' Can I just say how much I love roadtrips with the Harmonics? I'm sitting with the rest of the gang in Los Angeles right now, at the California A Cappella Festival, put on by the UCLA Random Voices. We literally just got off the stage fifteen or so minutes ago, and I had such a blast. Shows like this just remind me why I love doing this so much. AHHHH!!! WE WON 3 CARAs!!!!!!!!!!! I'm ecstatic, if you couldn't tell.
Here we are, deep in the throes of finals week, and we still can't quite believe that ShamROCK is over.
It is unclear as to why I'm still awake... it is 2:43AM, the night before ShamROCK, but I am too excited to sleep... As I sit here sipping my hot water with healthy doses of honey, I find myself browsing Blau's delightful Pre-ShamROCK photo album. The dress rehearsal tonight really brought together what we've been working on all quarter, and I am absolutely stoked for our performance later tonight. Highlights of the dress-rehearsal night: Esther and hair gel, me on caffeine doing 'jazzercise,' Robbie bobbing absurdly during Dream, Charlie performing our songs with equal enthusiasm while behind the mixing board *make sure to look back there at some point during the concert tonight*, Caleb's rocket launch count down, Ben's thundering bass during the rocket launch, Erica's bombtastic-ness on I'm Alive, Davey's screaming I'm Alive, Matt's guitar rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, Sarah's dramatic dance during Let it Rock, Blau's gangsta rap, Kali's belting at the end of SOS that blows me away every time, and Jenn's head banging during I'm Alive. THIS SHOW IS GOING TO BE TIGHT. SERIOUSLY. I write from the Harmz House (Charlie's house... but we're here so much it's basically our home too), towards the end (I hope) of a crazy all-day rehearsal. I couldn't get here until 5 - but others have been here since noon. And now it's almost midnight. We've been working individually with mics, working as a group on performance, and working as a Sarah on making some incredibly delicious thai curry goodness. And we're not even close to the end. We'll be back here tomorrow (if we even leave...) bright and early to rehearse more. All day. Bring it on. I just noticed an error on our calendar. It's already passed, but I feel like it's worth clearing up in case anyone is confused: So, this weekend the Harmonics loaded up the "tour bus" (aka my mom's Land Cruiser) and we drove to LA for the LA A Cappella Festival. Highlights of our tour bus trip to LA included our personal rendition of Sweet Honey On the Rocks' "When I Die Tomorrow." Sarah wins the award for best performance as she is the only one who can truly emulate the delightful sounds in this song. Once the tour bus rolled into LA we were ready to celebrate Sarah's 21st birthday, however, a not-so-delightful Raley's checkout lady refused to sell her alcohol as her ID (which indicated she had just turned 21!) had expired at midnight. UNCLEAR. Despite this damper on the night, Sarah's birthday was celebrated successfully. The following day we went to workshops on solos, mic technique, etc. and performed in the Mid-day showcase. Our 8 membered group definitely rocked out, and I was very pleased with our performance of Get Set and Comfortably Numb. Erica, Caleb, and I then decided to enjoy the lovely LA weather and slept on a hill of grass until we were disturbed by dance biscuits (Charlie and Ben) *see SNL skit with JT dancing to Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' for reference* who snuck up on us while we were sleeping and proceeded to take pictures. Other highlights of the weekend included a party with the Scattertones who were delightful hosts/hostesses who taught us a dance to Britney's "Womanizer." In a much too short of a time, Sunday rolled around and we loaded up the Tour Bus and returned to campus.
...we started working on The Sound of Silence in rehearsal! I am so excited for this song! It's going to be hard, but I think the end results are going to be epic.
What an awesomely busy day! After singing a quick set in the Quad (where Blau added his falsetto to Comfortably Numb given the fact that I was singing soprano inaudibly with a sore throat...), we drove up to Charlie's house to rehearse with our new sound equipment. Listening to the group singing Comfortably Numb with delay was incredible! Adding the effects to the song really makes you feel like you're listening to the mixed album version - I LOVE IT. We then worked on our mic mixing while singing Change and finished off with a dance party to our new favorite song, 'Let it Rock,' which was blasting through our speakers. What better way to spend a Sunday? Today, I walked out to my mailbox and discovered a beautiful package waiting for me: the official Escape Velocity CDs! (Yes, I've already sold four.) Since I'd been waiting for them anxiously, and since Blau shipped them to 'Caleb Jordan, bass extraordinaire' (thanks Blau!), what wasn't even meant to be a Christmas present totally made my day! Being home is great and all, but I cannot wait to get back to Stanford and enjoy another quarter with the Harmonics--retreats, a cappella festivals, shows, everything. Thanks for everything, and thank you for the most beautiful CDs ever!! Today we went to an elementary school in Los Altos to perform and do a little workshop with students. We did two assemblies - first for K-3rd grades, then for 4th-6th grades. The little kids were ADORABLE. When we asked for questions, we got a couple 'my mom/dad went to Stanford' and a couple 'why do you wear black?' We even had a few aspiring vocal percussionists. I had a surprisingly great time!! It was also really fun to do our song with so few people - only 8 of us could make it today. Watch out, Class of 2013 - we could be turning into an octet! As expected, last week was a crazy week for all of us! Everyone at Stanford is excited about Big Game, but we're just as excited about Big Sing. When the Cal and Stanford a cappella groups get together to make fun of each other's schools, hilarity is sure to ensue. We've changed the lyrics to Imagination for some humor at the weenies' expense, and we're looking forward to singing at Berkeley tomorrow night! Man, tomorrow's going to be a busy day. We're meeting at 11:30 AM (!), singing with the USC SoCal VoCals at 12:15 (which I'm super excited about, I love them), then heading over to Berkeley for the West Coast A Cappella Showcase, from which we probably won't be getting back to campus until about 11:00 PM. Hooray for 12-hour Harmonics days! :-) Tonight we had our first dorm show with the new group. Our warmups were a little shaky - this was our first time performing Comfortably Numb and it is HARD to sing. But we BROUGHT IT during the show. I was sweating like mad by the end of the first song! Comfortably Numb sounds REALLY cool... sometimes I wish I weren't in the group, just so I could listen :) So thanks to Matt's computer wizardry, we now have our very own blog! We'll be using this to give the inside perspective on everything we're doing. I'll try to keep it updated regularly, so check back often!
-Davey On October 11th, the 2008-2009 Harmonics had our first major gig of the year at the Reunion Homecoming a cappella concert. It was a great night, and a strong way to start off the year. Videos of the show can be seen on our YouTube account, at www.youtube.com/stanfordharmonics. Check 'em out!
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PHBD
Blau - 4/5/2009 11:26 PM PDT
Unfortunately, I have developed the symptoms once again. First of all, once we got back from LA, we went straight out to dinner. My car went straight there, and others who had already gotten back to campus left again to come join us. We eventually started walking back to the cars... but decided to have a spontaneous shopping trip instead. Finally back in my room, with hours and hours of work to do, I have spent the past couple hours contacting fellow group members, checking album sales, and friending my new Scattertone friends on facebook.
When faced with success, fun, belting, laughter, and extreme happiness, PHBD can develop. And unfortunately, I definitely have it. This. Is. Boostage.
Davey - 4/4/2009 8:39 PM PDT CARAs!!
Blau - 4/1/2009 12:02 AM PDT
Also... I love that Charlie's arrangements were both the winner AND the runner up. Charlie Forkish, you're the man.
http://www.casa.org/node/4878 ShamROCK: The Aftermath
Matt - 3/17/2009 4:44 PM PDT
We poured our lives into the concert, rehearsing 6+ hours each day, spending more time singing than we did sleeping, working to and beyond our limits to make ShamROCK 2009 an a cappella concert the likes of which had never been seen before. And in the end, we succeeded. According to the review in the Stanford Daily, the "Stanford Harmonics took to the stage and gave a performance worthy of their concert slogan: 'Everything you know about a cappella is about to change.' "
By the time we'd caught up on our sleep, it was time to finish up all the work we'd been putting off for our classes and study for finals. We haven't had time to rehearse in the week and a half since the concert, but when you spend most of every day with the same group of people, you can't give them up easily. The past week has been one of Harmonics study parties, spur-of-the-moment Harmonics dinners in Palo Alto, and impromptu concerts on street corners or wherever enough of us can get together to cover all of the parts. We're done with ShamROCK, but we're not done singing, and we're not done making our mark on collegiate a cappella.
The videos of ShamROCK are slowly making their way onto YouTube, so check back often to see all of our songs from the show. Here's a clip of us performing Kevin Rudolf's 'Let It Rock,' the second number of the night.
Pre-ShamROCK
Kate - 3/7/2009 2:53 AM PST
BOOOOOOOOST. The Insanity Begins
Blau - 2/28/2009 11:53 PM PST
And so begins the week before ShamROCK. This show is gonna be EPIC. National Anthem - Venue Correction
Charlie - 2/4/2009 8:04 PM PST
Our calendar says we were singing the national anthem at the Stanford Men's basketball game on January 22nd. If you were at that game and didn't see us, I apologize, the venue listed on our calendar was incorrect. Our schedule says we were performing in Maples Pavilion, when in fact we were actually performing in the Maples Pavilion Parking Lot. Sorry for the mixup. But know that yes, we were there, and yes, we did sing the national anthem. Several times in fact. So I hope that clears that up for you.
(Actually, the national anthem people double booked us and sent us home once we were all warmed up and ready to walk out onto the court....) LAAF (LA A Cappella Festival - aka /laugh/ for those in the know)
Kate - 2/3/2009 11:04 AM PST
<3 Finally...
Davey - 1/20/2009 10:48 PM PST
In other news, retreat is this weekend! I can't wait- in fact, I'm already mentally in Tahoe right now. I just need to get through the rest of this week first... Rehearsal on Sound!
Kate - 1/19/2009 10:50 AM PST
Because when I arrive
I bring the fire
Make you come alive
I can take you higher
What is this, forgot?
I must now remind you
Let It Rock
Let It Rock
Let It Rock
<3 Time Warp and the Singing Deficit
BC - 12/31/2008 10:20 AM PST
Time behaves in interesting ways over winter break. Stanford kids have brains whose circuitry is wired to be doing something constantly. When it's time for a break, at first it's nice, because final exams really suck the life (and work ethic) out of you. But after a certain amount of leisurely nothingness, this nagging feeling slowly creeps up on you and all of a sudden you're antsy and need something to do and are freaking out and IS BREAK OVER YET?!
No, it's not. And no, you can't press fast forward. Just calm down, Stanford kid. Deep breaths.
It's also funny how indispensable singing becomes once you start rehearsing three or four times a week. Once you stop, it's like someone has taken a big hole puncher to your heart and there is this big circular void that can only be filled by shared song. I am eager to start singing again and even more eager to start experimenting in earnest with our vast array of dope-tastic sound equipment. Bring it on, 2009. Happy Holidays!
Caleb - 12/25/2008 1:37 PM PST Elementary Gig!
Blau - 12/2/2008 4:41 PM PST Recap of Last Week
Davey - 11/25/2008 6:12 PM PST
It started Sunday morning, with a joint performance at Lytton Plaza with the USC SoCal VoCals. It's always fun hanging out with other groups, showing them how we do what we do, learning from them, etc, and Sunday was a blast. We had a great time with the VoCals, and we're hoping to sing again with them soon!
After Lytton Plaza, we hightailed it over to Berkeley for the 8th Annual West Coast A Cappella Showcase. We ended up getting there way early, so we shopped around Berkeley for a while, looking for new Harmz outfits, and just generally enjoying the very different atmosphere you find at Berkeley. :-) When it came to showtime, we premiered one of our new songs (featured on Escape Velocity!), Comfortably Numb. It's originally by Pink Floyd, but the version we cover is by the Scissor Sisters, who perform the song in the style of the Bee Gees. Confused yet? Here's a video of our premier performance of the song: (Note: to see a higher quality version, go to our YouTube account.)
We finally arrived back to Stanford at around 11:30 PM, at which point most of us started our work for the weekend (oops...)
Then, on Tuesday, we returned to Berkeley for Big Sing. Though the entirely Cal student audience was a little worrisome, we actually got a great audience reception, and had fun cheering on the other Stanford groups who performed as well (Fleet Street, The Mendicants, and Counterpoint). Huge thanks to all the Cal groups for hosting the event. Best moment of the night: after the show, while Charlie, BC, Caleb and I were walking around campus, some random car pulled over next to us, and the guys inside rolled down the window and told us that we were awesome. Getting recognized on the street- one of the perks of being a Harmonic... ;-) Big Sing
Matt - 11/18/2008 1:26 AM PST Tomorrow
Davey - 11/15/2008 9:47 PM PST First Dorm Show
Blau - 11/12/2008 11:57 PM PST New Blog!
Davey - 11/10/2008 4:02 PM PST First Show of the Year - Reunion Homecoming 2008!
Davey - 11/10/2008 2:44 PM PST
Fall Retreat
Blau - 11/10/2008 2:27 PM PST 
We just returned from a jam-packed two-night retreat up in Lake Tahoe. It was AWESOME, complete with hamburgers, a hot tub... and an INSANE amount of rehearsal. I had so many parts to learn. But it was such a great time - I'm so stoked for the rest of the year!!
Davey - 4/5/2009 11:39 PM PDT
Haha, well put.
Brittney - 5/19/2009 11:53 PM PDT
apparently I should be a victim of this PHBD lol