I'm not one to toot my own horn; I'm more wont to honk it,
repeatedly, with peeved cabbie gusto, and then simply lean on it until
the cops arrive. It is with this same restraint that I trumpet the
arrival of the first all-acapella CD of my post-Rockapella career: The
GrooveBarbers' sparkling holiday offering "Glory."
The GrooveBarbers are three former Rockapellas — Charlie Evett, Steve
Keyes and me — and vocal guru Kevin Weist, the throbbing brains behind
the acapella cockroaches in the MTV film "Joe's Apartment." Back in
1986, "The GrooveBarbers" was one of the band names that we founding
fathers, in our infinite fanciness, considered and then discarded in
favor of "Rockapella." What the hell were we thinking?
Duh-uh...The GrooveBarbers is like such a way better name that I hafta
barf and text everyone I know and use gazillions of emoticons to
express what I'm unable to, like, y'know, verbalize with my thumbs!
The other rejected names (I s*** you not) were The SoulBarbers, The
Brandy You're A Fine Girls, and Piss Swordfight (what we bored boys do
when there's only one toilet. Now you know).
The GrooveBarbers have been doing occasional live shows since I left
Rockapella, but have saved our CD debut until now, to coincide with
Rockapella's 20th anniversary. Poignantly and ironically (sounds like
a sissy folk duo), the group's sound is the sound of early
Rockapella: the Ultrabrite barber-jazz harmonies, the irrepressible
smirk, the manic "I can jump higher" enthusiasm, and the wedgie-fied
"pull my finger" sense of mischief. All that's missing is the
hairline, the waistline, Reaganomics and Elliott Kerman, who's an
honorary occasional member anyway.
This is the holiday album that Rockapella '86 would
have made, had we the budget and wherewithal of our future,
middle-aged selves. (Excuse me; I must mention that I've waited my
whole life to use the word "wherewithal," and now I can die,
breathless and fulfilled).
To add a sweaty red cherry to the most perfect of sundaes, "Glory"
sports two of my fave originals from my Rockapella days — "Secret
Santa" and "You're My Christmas" — neither of which enjoyed an
American release, now re-recorded in dazzling "BarberSound" with vocal
drumming by Rockapella's own Jeff Thacher. I dare say that these newly
realized renditions trump the mighty Rockapella versions.
The hot fudge drizzled on this confection is the fact that the album
was mixed by Thacher, who is the best damned acapella mixer on Earth
(apparently there's this alien dude on Pluto...), and the cover art is
the work of Charlie La Greca of Minimum Wage fame.
