Kickshaw
Jim Castaneda, Blake Lewis, Danny Figgins, Andy Marshall and Dan Schumacher
Kickshaw hailed from the great Northwestern United States - Seattle, Washington. They mixed up their 'Groovalistic-Funkappella' and pounding the Northwest pavement for about 7 years, playing hundreds of dates in the city, at area grade and college level schools, and almost any type of event and concert situation you can imagine - all the time giving each audience a unique, 'mouth-music' expiereince. With their groove-driven songs, crafty vocal arrangements, skilled improvisational jam sessions, and the ability to create the sounds of numerous instruments with only their mouths, Kickshaw is one of the most exciting of the new contemporary a cappella groups.
In mid 1996, five unassuming a cappella musicians got together at their good friend's party and just started jamming and found that essential combination of talent, personality and vision that make up the core of the group today. In the months that followed, the jam session seemed to have lit a spark in the minds of these five guys; for in the Fall of that same year, Kickshaw's fire was burning and the mouth-music you hear today was born. Since their inception, Kickshaw sung with 3 different bass singers - keeping the origional format of five members at the forefront of their minds. After two years of trying it with five, they were faced with the opportunity to keep the group a quartet and see what goes. It went.
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Sound Check Gavin Intro Stand Up No Pin-Up Girl No Tomorrow Me Gusta La Musica Potatoes and Rive The Other Side What I Wanted Play! |
Seattle, Washington-based Kickshaw, 5-man Contemporary a cappella group who've been working on their 'Groovalistic-Funkappella' sound since 1996, won first place in the Pacific NW Harmony Sweepstakes competition, and decided after a great performance at the National Finals that they were ready to pursue music full time. In 1998 American Idol finalist Blake Lewis joined the group and performs his beatboxing magic on this recording. The recording rocks has nine songs (and an intro by one of the group member’s little son): "Gavin Intro," "Stand Up," "No," "Pin-Up Girl," "No Tomorrow," "Me Gusta La Musica," "Potatoes and Rice," "The Other Side," "What I Wanted" and "Play!" "Put It" is excellent CD #2, the first was "Superstar." Kickshaw's energetic songs are groove-driven, with crafty vocal arrangements, and they have ability to create the sounds of musical instruments with only their mouths—which makes them a very exciting live group, and "Put It" an a cappella envelope-pushing winner!
Listen to Blake Lewis beatbox on "Play" in RealAudio.
| 2927 CD $14.98 |
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Sound Check Voice! Superstar Invictus Papa Was A Rolling Stone Dance To The Music The Deed The Party Song Walkin' Man My Heart Is For You Invictus (reprise) Are You Gonna Go My Way Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band |
Having been introduced to Seattle's Kickshaw in the 1997 Harmony
Sweepstakes, we knew this CD was worth our attention, and it has surpassed our
expectations. (Seattle's a cappella scene is happening, having also produced
m-pact and the Coats). This funky foursome grooves to a dance beat, that's for
sure; "Superstar," written by the group, is our favorite, but "Papa Is A Rolling
Stone" is a close runner-up. However, Kickshaw throws out several curve balls
too - the chant of "Invictus," which reveals a depth and intelligence that goes
beyond frilly shirts and disco frivolity. The production is outstanding, some
of the best we've heard - "Dance To The Music" a great example, as Kickshaw
cops a guitar and drum tone that may even be better than the real thing, and
the arrangement is clever. Cool.
| 2195 CD $14.98 |
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