Thursday, January 22, 2015

PENTATONIX

I just recently discovered a group called Pentatonix. You can read about their beginnings on their website, PTXOfficial.com, and see many videos about their start on "Sing Off" Season 3. They have made many videos of their songs, which are just as creative as their songs and arrangements.

One thing I really like about them is their amazing harmonies and their even more original and creative arrangements. I'm not one who usually listens to the radio, especially to what the kids listen to, but the songs they 'cover' sound very interesting. I have always been one who really loves harmony, and they do it very well. The main harmonizers are the three main original friends who sang a lot together: Scott Hoying, Kirstie Maldonado, and Mitch Grassi. The bass of the group, who sometimes sings melodies reminiscent of Bing Crosby, or men of that ilk, sings very low bass notes, and amazingly smooth lead melody lines. The group is rounded out by the beat-boxer and sometimes fifth voice, Kevin "KO" Olusola, who is an accomplished musician in his own right, playing the cello, saxophone, and voice (usually a tenor/baritone, but not averse to singing as high as Scott Hoying. He also makes videos and recording with two other ladies in a group called Triptyx. Lately, he has released his own EP, 'Renegade.' It's certainly worth a listen. 

Now, no one sings quite as high as Mitch Grassi, who is labeled a 'counter tenor' but is really more like a alto/high tenor. His voice can be anything from under Kirstie's voice, to sometimes higher. He can do whistle tones with ease as well. One interesting thing about Mitch is that he is left-handed, which means he leans towards genius -- think of all the greatest renaissance men: Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Paul McCartney, to name a few, and he is in good company. One quirk of his that I can relate to is imitating the sounds of inanimate objects, like a marker pen on a marker board. That is    oddly interesting. Yes...I am odd too, but only creative people like me would understand that. <grin>

If you haven't heard this group, check them out. Their music is catchy and infectious, and they can take music from almost any genre, and make it sound good. They certainly have my thumbs up.


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