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Toxic Audio, an a cappella group, performed Saturday night in the Martinsville High School auditorium. Above (from left), members Geoff Castellucci, Michelle Mailhot-Valines, Paul Sperrazza, Shalisa James and Jeremy James perform. (Contributed photos by Barbara Parker) |
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Monday, October 19, 2009
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Never underestimate the power of the human voice.
That is the message that a nationally known group of five a cappella singers wants to emphasize to its audiences: Entertainers can sing and make music at the same time, without being accompanied by musical instruments.
About 400 people heard the group, Toxic Audio, perform Saturday night at Martinsville High School. Its concert was the first performance this season of Piedmont Arts’ “On Stage!” concert series.
“It was a really enthusiastic audience,” said Barbara Parker, director of programs for Piedmont Arts. “They really enjoyed themselves.”
The group, which has recorded four compact discs, is comprised of Jeremy and Shalisa James, Michelle Mailhot-Valines, Rene Ruiz and Paul Sperrazza. Toxic Audio has performed at the Disney/MGM Studios and with comedian Wayne Brady and singers Ziggy Marley and Tony Bennett.
In 2003, the group’s disc, “Chemistry,” received an “Album of the Year” award for best contemporary a cappella recording.
According to information supplied by Piedmont Arts, the group uses voices to “create complex sonic textures, rhythmic drumbeats, thumping bass lines and searing guitar-like solos.”
Group members sing, too. Toxic Audio’s repertoire includes pop, hip-hop, jazz and country songs, as well as original compositions.
Saturday night’s concert included their renditions of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” plus “Turn the Beat Around,” which has been recorded by Gloria Estefan, Laura Branigan and other singers.
One of the group’s original songs was a semi-humorous tribute to its “Sound Guy,” the man in the back of the auditorium who operates the audio mixing board and other electronic controls that enhance the group members’ voices.
The audience participated in Saturday’s concert. For instance, one performer led audience members in making sounds similar to the wail of a siren and the chugging of a train, showing that they also have vocal talents.
At Piedmont Arts, “part of our mission is not only to entertain our audiences, but also to educate them,” Parker said.
Toxic Audio performed about two years ago in Yanceyville, N.C., a town just south of Danville. Group members said they were glad to be back in the area.
While performing, they shook hands with audience members seated near the stage. They also gathered in the auditorium’s lobby after the concert to meet audience members and answer questions. |
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