Not Too Sharp

Not Too Sharp
Not Too Sharp

Not Too Sharp's Spring 2009 Big Show
Background information
Origin Durham, New Hampshire
Genres A cappella, Pop
Years active 2002–present
Website not2sharp.com
Members
Scott Gabreski
Tyler Hixson
Alex "Toast" Rich
Jim McCann
Peter Wasiuk
Anthony Richards
Eric Schaaf
Jack Gillman
Lucas Dauphinais
Chris Chagnon
Phil Paradis
Past members
Sam Johnson
Harrison Kisiel
Brendan McCann
Alex Preece
Matt Thompson
Kien Pham
Seth Ohrn
Sean Matthews
Ross Seavey
Dave Snell
Mark Taipan
Jamie Saucier
Matt Labak
James Luby
Brad Bensko
Dan Chaston
Kevin Cleary
Charles "Chuckles" Marlowe
Jeffrey Martineau
Albert Craig
Jared Craven
Alex DuMars
Ellis Evans-Brown
Derek Henry
Ross MacPherson
Nate Moyer
Ethan Miller
Luke Nyman
Jason Reed
Brian Rowley
Matt Smith
Nichols Wawrzynski
Scot Wilson

Not Too Sharp is an all-male a cappella group from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, USA. Begun in 2002, the 10-12 man group performs live on the college campus, at other groups’ venues, and in the New Hampshire community. Their annual benefit show supports the American Cancer Society.[1] The Recorded Acappella Review Board says of Not Too Sharp, “All male, slightly goofy and possessed of an infectious energy… Charisma just drips out of the speakers.”[2] In 2010 the group was presented with a "Best of New Hampshire" award for contemporary a cappella.[3]

Contents

History

University of New Hampshire students Jamie Saucier '03, Jason Reed '05 and Kevin Cleary '05 conceived the group during a trip with the UNH Chorus to perform background vocals at a Barry Manilow concert in Manchester, New Hampshire. A discussion of a friend who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable but treatable cancer, led them to gather a group who could perform to raise money for cancer research.[4]

The original group decided to perform a new twist on classic barbershop music style – something that could distinguish them from the other a cappella groups on campus at the time - and the a cappella group known as Not Too Sharp was born.

The first show was held in the basement floor of Congreve Hall in 2002. The group rehearsed during the walk across campus, and relied on paper music during the show. This was the first of over 25 concerts for the group in their first year, earning them recognition as “the group who sang everywhere." The group’s first Big Show was held May 3, 2003, in UNH's Johnson Theatre, hosted by members of co-ed UNH a cappella group Alabaster Blue. Over 200 people attended this first semester-culminating show.[5]

Since the first year, the group has continued to perform live around the region, including commencements, weddings, private parties, and even the New Hampshire State House. Their audiences have included school kids, the elderly, and fellow college students.

Music

The group was barbershop-based in its early days. The first album, On Our Way, consisted of many such traditional barbershop arrangements. It was released in 2003, during the group's first year in existence. The songs were recorded live in UNH's MUB Theater.

A self-titled album was released in 2006. The new album reflected the group's growing interest in popular modern music. Fall Out Boy’s track “Sugar, We’re Going Down” and classic rock like The Eagles’ “Hotel California” appeared alongside barbershop arrangements like “Chordbuster’s March." The 2009 album Shifting Gears completed the group’s move away from its traditional barbershop roots, with tracks like Spoon’s “The Underdog” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Gone.” A unique arrangement of The Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” also demonstrated the group’s adventurous nature.[6]

Philanthropy

An annual benefit concert raises money for the American Cancer Society. The shows generated approximately $10,000 for the ACS in the group's first five years.[7]

Auditions

Since the group consists of only current UNH students, graduating students must be replaced each year, leading to a constantly rotating lineup. Any UNH undergraduate is invited to audition.

Notes

  1. ^ Gibbons, Sarah. "Not Too Sharp to sing spirited a cappella songs to UNH assembly." The New Hampshire. 12 Dec 2008.
  2. ^ Minkoff, Jonathan. "RARB Review of Not Too Sharp." Recorded Acappella Review Board. RARB.org
  3. ^ "Best of NH 2010 winners." New Hampshire Magazine, July 2010.
  4. ^ Mullen, Kurt. (2009). "High notes." UNH Magazine, Spring 2009.
  5. ^ "About us." Not Too Sharp.com
  6. ^ "Not Too Sharp Biography." Last.fm
  7. ^ Wall, Kim. "A cappella group, "Not Too Sharp," to perform at UNH Manchester." UNH Manchester Press Releases. 21 Nov 2007.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • sharp — /ʃap / (say shahp) adjective 1. having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well adapted for cutting or piercing. 2. terminating in an edge or point; not blunt or rounded. 3. having sudden change of direction, as a turn. 4. abrupt, as an ascent.… …  

  • Sharp, Cecil James — (1859 1924)    Born in London, Sharp spent much of his early adulthood in Australia, returning to England in 1892, planning to make a living in music. He served for many years as music master at Ludgrove Preparatory School, and Principal of the… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Sharp MZ — The Sharp MZ is a series of personal computers sold in Japan and Europe (particularly Germany and Great Britain) by Sharp beginning in 1978.OverviewAlthough commonly believed to stand for Microcomputer Z80 , the term MZ actually has its roots in… …   Wikipedia

  • sharp — sharply, adv. sharpness, n. /shahrp/, adj., sharper, sharpest, v., adv., n. adj. 1. having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well adapted for cutting or piercing: a sharp knife. 2. terminating in an edge or point; not blunt or rounded: The… …   Universalium

  • sharp — [[t]ʃɑrp[/t]] adj. sharp•er, sharp•est, v. adv. n. 1) having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well adapted for cutting or piercing: a sharp knife[/ex] 2) terminating in an edge or point; not blunt or rounded: sharp corners[/ex] 3) involving… …   From formal English to slang

  • Sharp-shinned Hawk — Taxobox name = Sharp shinned Hawk status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 image caption = Sharp shinned Hawk (nominate group). regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Falconiformes familia = Accipitridae genus = Accipiter species …   Wikipedia

  • Not I — This article is about the play. For the restriction enzyme NotI, see restriction enzyme. Photo of Lisa Dwan, Battersea Arts Centre © Allan Titmuss Not I is a twenty minute dramatic monologue written in 1972 (March 20 to April 1) by Samuel Beckett …   Wikipedia

  • Sharp EL-5120 — The Sharp EL 5120 is a scientific programmable calculator. It has about 1 KB of total RAM available to the user, and has 4 basic operational modes:*Real mode: it is the basic operational mode for direcltly performing standard algebraic and… …   Wikipedia

  • Granville Sharp — (10 November 1735 6 July 1813) was a British campaigner for the abolition of the slave trade, and a classicist. LifeGranville Sharp was the 20th of the 31 children of Thomas Sharp (1693 1758), a prolific theological writer and biographer of his… …   Wikipedia

  • David Sharp (mountaineer) — David Sharp Born 15 February 1972 England Died 15 May 2006(2006 05 15) (aged 34) Mount Everest …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”