Sounds Local: Ball in the House to address racism at Nov. 3 show
Published: 10-30-2024 1:42 PM |
By Sheryl Hunter
If you think a cappella music is something that only barbershop quartets or high school vocal groups perform (yes, I’m thinking the show “Glee”) then be prepared to have these ideas challenged when Ball in the House takes the stage at the Whately Town Hall on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m. This show is part of the Watermelon Wednesday concert series and likely will be the last show of the 2024 season.
This is a return visit for the Boston-based a cappella quintet that played the West Whately Chapel last year as part of the series. That show was fraught with some pre-show mishaps, including a blown speaker and their van getting stuck in the field due to torrential rain, but the show itself was a huge success, and the band looks forward to returning to Whately to play in a bigger venue and one that doesn’t require them to park in a field.
“I usually don’t have a show two years in a row, but this ensemble has to be heard to be believed,” wrote Watermelon Wednesdays series founder and Director Paul Newlin. “Their repertoire consists of R&B, soul, the blues, hip-hop, rap, jazz. It’s a vocal panorama of African-American songs from 1619 to today. In addition to singing the big “hits” of all genres, they will briefly explain how the various song forms changed over the years.”
Ball in the House is Oscar Hall (baritone), Tyler Nordin (tenor), Kevin Cincotta-Guest (bass), Wallace Thomas (high tenor) and Jon Ryan (vocal percussion).
The group was co-founded by Ryan in 1997. He first became involved in a cappella singing when he attended Skidmore College and later took up beatboxing after being inspired by beatboxer Andrew Chaikin of the House Jacks.
Ball in the House currently performs about 250 shows a year worldwide. The group has opened for various big-name acts, including the Beach Boys, Jessica Simpson, the Jonas Brothers, Blondie and many more.
They headlined the 2018 and 2016 China International Chorus Festival in Beijing, won the 2016 Boston Harmony Sweepstakes, and have won numerous other awards. For six years, they provided the vocals for Cool Whip commercials and recently wrote and performed the jingle for Amazon Prime Days.
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They’ve also appeared on various television shows and released seven albums, some of which include original material. In a recent phone conversation, Ryan said this upcoming show will primarily feature cover songs that the audience will be familiar with. Their performances are upbeat and engaging and frequently bring crowds to their feet.
The show’s first half will be a program called “Now I See: Race, Racism, and American Music.”
“It’s a celebration of African-American music and how racism affected this style of music,” explained Ryan. “So we go back in history from field songs through spirituals and gospel and then into more contemporary rock n’ roll, R&B, and hip-hop.”
After a brief intermission (donuts and cider will be served), the show’s second half will be a regular concert with plenty of well-known songs.
In addition to all the concerts they play, the group has developed a series of programs for schools that are geared toward students from K-12 to the college level.
The “Now I See” program came together during COVID when the band could not perform.
“The George Floyd incident came about, and these stories of racism started to affect all of us,” recalled Ryan. “We got on the internet, and we started reading about these stories and gravitated to the ones about music; one of the earliest was about Nat King Cole, who was attacked when he was performing because of the color of his skin.”
They found more stories and started diving into the African-American roots of various genres and their evolution and impact, which led to the show’s formation. Ryan said it was a great deal of work putting the “Now I See” program together, as arranging an a cappella song can take two hours, depending on the song.
Ryan emphasized that in this show they aren’t teaching about racism, it’s more of a sharing of stories.
“The main thing is that this show is a celebration of this music and the musicians and where they come from,” said Ryan. For instance, a performance of “Hound Dog” includes a story about Big Mama Thornton, who originally performed the song.
While some of the stories they share are serious, Ryan stressed that the show overall is fun. He also wants people to know that a Ball in House show includes a lot of audience participation and there will be some singing along as well as instructions on beatboxing and riffing.
Can you think of a better way to spend your Sunday afternoon?
Perhaps Paul Newlin summed it up best when he said: “If you heard them last year, you’ll be back; If you didn’t, you must come!”
Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 and available at watermelonwednesdays.com.
Cloudbelly and Rocking Puppies at the Iron Horse
One of the best albums released in 2024 was “i know i know i know” by the local chamber pop group Cloudbelly, led by singer/songwriter Corey Laitman of Montague. In May, the Boston Globe agreed, citing the album as one of the best of the year so far. Other publications have also praised it.
And in big news for the band, it was just announced that the Boston Music Awards had nominated Cloudbelly for Folk Artist of the Year, and “i know i know i know” was nominated for Album of the Year! This is a huge honor, and the band needs you to get out there and vote at bostonmusicawards.com.
If you haven’t heard the album, head to your nearest streaming service and check it out, or better yet, go to the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m., where the band will be playing songs off the album. Greenfield’s father-daughter punk band, Rocking Puppies, will open the show.
In addition to Laitman, Cloudbelly features Sam Perry on guitar, Ciarra Fragale on bass and Nate Mondschein on drums. Cynthia Tolson, who performed on the album, will be at this show playing strings.
“i know i know i know” was released in February, and the band spent a good part of the year touring in support of the release. The album features Laitman exploring lost relationships through poetic lyrics layered with emotion and melodic indie-folk music with elements of pop. The band spent a good deal of the year on the road supporting the album.
“We did a ton of touring. It was beautiful and went well, and we look forward to doing more next year,” wrote Laitman in an email. “We’ll use the next few months to work on our next album.”
This show will be the band’s last big show of the year. To make it extra-special, they have invited the punk band, The Rocking Puppies, Michael Crigler, and his 9-year-old daughter Pema to open. The Rocking Puppies recently released their debut album, “Civilized Show-Off.”
“It’s neat to live in a place where a project as far out and wholesome as a punk rock dad-daughter duo can make a splash, and it was an opportunity to expand the intergenerational width of the event,” said Laitman of their decision to invite the Rocking Puppies to be part of the night.
Besides returning to the studio, Cloudbelly will share some shows with the Suitcase Junket in 2025, so watch Cloudbellytheband.com for more information on these dates. In the meantime, grab your tickets for this show at Ironhorse.org, and don’t forget to vote at bostonmusicawards.com.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.