Pentatonix

J Music: Performance and Meet & Greet with Pentatonix at B.B. Kings

ayminor

So this post is suppper delayed, but last week I took a little hiatus from some of my social media activities. I went to see the Pentatonix perform at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City on Tuesday, September 12.  Pentatonix is a 5-member a cappella group that is most known for winnning season 3 of NBC’s The Sing-Off, and for having the ability to transcend the customary boundaries of a cappella with unique and futuristic arrangements.

http://hal9209.com/blog/2012/09/pentatonix-concert/

The show was nothing short of phenomenal.

I know Pentatonix is impressive, but nothing prepares you to see them performing live! 

If you are familiar with The Sing-Off then you can recall the judges always referred to Avi and Kevin as the “meat and potatoes.” I have always been so obsessed with Scott (he is always featured on my blog), but my breakout stars for the night were definitely Kevin and Avi. It’s not very often that the focus is on the lower parts, but the bass and the beatboxing made the show!

The opening act for the night was Julia Easterlin — who deserves, and will get her own blog post. Great start to the night, and the crowd was pumped up for Pentatonix to hit the stage.

They did not disappoint, performing all of their big songs from The Sing-Off and all of my favorite covers from YouTube.

http://hal9209.com/blog/2012/09/pentatonix-concert/

The best part of the night was the end when I got to meet them and, of course, I absolutely shower them with praise!  I have been around a number of celebs/musicians in my life, but I was so in awe of their performance that I was actually nervous (embarrassing). They were so sweet!

For the full Pentatonix biography see below.

Buy the Pentatonix EP PTX, Vol. 1 here.

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J Music: Julia Easterlin at B.B. Kings, Looping Artist

ayminor

From the opening notes she captured the audience. I fathom for many concert-goers it was their first exposure to “looping” live.

http://hal9209.com/blog/2012/09/pentatonix-concert/

Julia Easterlin is a vocalist and loop artist wielding composition, production and performance in one fell swoop. One part siren and one part technologist, she uses looping hardware to build a one-woman chorus live onstage.This rare sound has driven Julia to recent performances at Lollapalooza, SXSW, MIDEM, CMJ, and the TEDxWomen Conference.

She performed about 4 or 5 songs (a bit long for an opening act to retain an audience’s attention), but everything she performed was well received. You could hear a pin drop as everyone marveled at her ability to create the beats, harmonies, and lead vocals live with great precision. To top if off Julia has a great voice, poise, and the ability to create a calming emotional connection with everyone in the room.

Watch Julia perform “Eyes on the Prize” below.  She also goes into a short explanation of looping.

Just listening to her music does not do it justice — you have to see & hear her live!

To download “Eyes on the Prize” by Julia Easterlin click here.

For more information about Julia Easterlin click here.