Voice Male - Goody Bag
March 25th 2006 - Reggehof Goor
I was so happy to be able to go to Voice Male today. Actually I had other plans for today, but when I found out Voice Male was giving an a cappella workshop and a concert not far from here, I just had to go there. So I rescheduled my weekend, and ordered tickets only two days before today. Luckily for me, the show wasn't sold out completely.
If you don't want to read about the workshop, you can scroll down to read the concert report or watch the pictures.
A cappella workshop with Jo Annemans
Going to an a cappella workshop has always been on my "I've-always-wanted-to-do-this-wish-list" and today I was going to join one. I was really looking forward to it, but I was a little nervous at the same time. What could I expect? Would it be fun indeed? Would it be easy, would it be difficult? I didn't have a clue. I found out somebody from the Zuma forum would also be there, and in the forum we agreed we would find each other by yelling the code word "zuma". Luckily this wasn't necessary, we found each other without strange-looking people wondering why some women were yelling zuma during a Voice Male workshop.
There were quite a lot of people, and the group was divided in two. Jean Pierre was going to lead the workshop for the teenagers (there was a large group of scholars), and Jo was going to lead the workshop for the adults. So I spend the afternoon with Jo and about 30 other people who were anxiously waiting what was about to come.
We made a circle of chairs in the room, and Jo was sitting behind his keyboard. He introduced himself and told us we were going to spend the afternoon listening to a cappella and sing a cappella ourselves. He had a lot of plans and got started right away, he played some chords on his keyboard and asked us to pick a note from the chords and sing along. Ok... we can do that. But to sing a different note than the person sitting next to you, can be hard sometimes. We had to listen to each other very carefully. Jo let us hear some a cappella songs and he asked us to listen to the chords, not the lead or the bass. He asked us to focus on how many singers there were singing, and what they were singing. We had to focus on one singer and try to sing his part. That's really hard, but eventually some people of the group could sing it!
We had to sing katoekatoekakam katoekamkam katoeka, or something like that. Jo had to repeat it several times, in small pieces, before we were able to sing it. And right now, I've already forgot the complete line. We had to sing it in different voices, and together with a dumdumdum we had a wonderful six-voices a cappella piece.
We sang Als er nooit meer een morgen zou zijn, a song from
Marco Borsato. We were not allowed to sing the melody, we had to pick a note from the chord
and in that way, with different tones, we made our own arrangement (with a lot of help from
Jo). Timing was important, listening to each other and singing the song with feeling and
emotion. The lyrics are so beautiful, and when we all walked through the room, singing
this song, Jo leaned back on his chair and he fully enjoyed the beautiful harmony. Thanks
to Jo I now know the first strophe by heart ;)
"Als er nooit meer een morgen zou zijn, en de zon viel in slaap met de maan. Heb je enig
idee wat het met je zou doen, als je nog maar een dag zou bestaan"
We also sang Ik tel tot drie, a song from Guus Meeuwis. For this song, some women were asked to study the trumpets in the song. They left the room, armed with a cd-player and a cd. The others were going to sing the chords. Eventually, we had a lead singer, three (and later six) different voices, some basses and a rhythm (t k ts k), and then the trumpets came back and sang along as well. So cool! Of course, it's not flawless, but for such a short time of practicing with a group of strangers, I'm amazed of the beautiful sound. I love to sing like this!
To join this workshop was really great. Jo was teaching in a very quick way, we really had to stay focused all the time. But, due to his passion, his enthusiasm and his discipline we were able to make this afternoon a big success. We'll be there again next year!
Goody Bag - the concert
In the evening we visited the theater again, Voice Male was performing their Goody Bag. Last
year, we'd also seen this show, in Hengelo. That was our
very first Voice Male concert, and I got pretty enthusiastic by it. But today, for some reason,
it was really even better than last year, and it got me even more enthusiastic. Sometimes an a
cappella addiction can be difficult: I want to see and hear them again, but there are so many
other groups I want to see as well! No matter what, I'm going to manage ;)
The show starts with a ringing telephone. Nobody is answering the phone, and we hear "This is
your voicemail. You are not at home right now. Please start to applaud after the beep. *BEEP*" The
audience applauds and there they are, the six men from Voice Male.
They start with Standing strong together. A great song to start the show with. The fact this group
consists of six people, brings on such a beautiful full sound. The audience is in the right mood from the
start, probably because there are a lot of people who also joined the workshops in the afternoon. They
continue with Word up and after that Tijl sings Greyhound.
The other five are standing behind their microphone standards and they look like a synchronic dancing
background choir. Mmm.... not my favorite type of choreo. But it's the only time that thought crosses
my mind that evening. All in all, the choreos are great! Much better than when I saw them last year.
Though last year, the stage was smaller... and I guess that left them too little room for their choreos.
Today the choreos were smooth, good, varied, sexy, etc. etc. Just had it all.
Voice Male tells us this show is called "Goody Bag". In this show they'll only sing pop and rock
songs from the Netherlands and Belgium. We might be hearing a song from Stevie Wonder, and if that happens,
we just have to imagine that Stevie's aunt once lived in Giethoorn.
Next are She couldn't laugh and Crash and burn. It's
such a pleasure to watch this show. The men are in very good spirits. And sometimes I wonder what they've
been eating tonight... in the afternoon they were quite calm and now they seem to be totally crazy now and then.
It's so much fun. It's hard to sit still and I really like Crash and burn, it's
definitely going to be one of my favorites of tonight.
Time to hear some Dutch. First, Jean Pierre sings Vrolijke violen, a song
from Boudewijn de Groot. It's a very happy song and the way this man is singing the song is great. He's
got style.
After this, there's the funny K3/Luv-medley. K3 is a girls group from Belgium from these days, Luv was a girls group in the Netherlands long ago. And now, Voice Male is singing their songs in a medley which causes hilarious situations! To laugh your head off.
Sorry, couldn't help myself...And then, there it is, Stevie Wonders I wish, sung by Tijl. A beautiful song, of course. I already know it very well, because it's on the album I've already got (Approved). Next is Jorden Terra, and this is such a wonderful song. I remember I loved it last year and I'm so happy to hear it again tonight. The song (from Urban Trad) is sung in Swedish/Galician, and it's about a woman who plants a flower on the grave of her sweetheart. She hopes all his goodness will grow into this flower, because then she'll pick it and throw the leaves in the air and let the wind and the birds spread his goodness in the world. *sigh* Isn't that just a beautiful meaning? *sigh*
Before the break starts, we hear two songs written by Voice Male. Inside of me is written and sung by Tijl. This song also has a professional video clip (you can see it on the Voice Male website). The other song is High, written and sung by Harald. It's such a beautiful song, they try to sing it for years already in the way Harald wrote it. And, so we are being told, if it sounds good today, we can be very happy. If it doesn't sound good, there will be a break to recover. It's really funny if they actually do make a mistake somewhere halfway the song, and they have to laugh about it themselves. But they find their tunes again and sing the song until the end. I also love this song for Jo's part, when he's singing "low low low" instead of "high high high".
During the break I get some help to get the correct song titles. Thanks to the extreme-fans who saw
this show tonight for the 12th (?) time ;) Thanks girls. Enough to chat about, but the show goes on and we
quickly find our seats again to enjoy the second part of this evening.
They start with Stay with me, sung by Jan Coesemans. After that there's another
Dutch song, Geen toeval. I really don't know much about Dutch music at all,
because I didn't even know this song is from Marco Borsato *shame*. But.. I always give preference to an a
cappella arrangement, anyway. The parting glass, another song from their previous album, brings an
Irish atmosphere in the theater.
And then, Jo is going to sing his favorite song. It's his favorite song because "low is terribly sexy". And it is. Mooie blouse is a very funny song, in which Jo tells us about his attempts to talk to a woman, and all he is able to say is "what a nice blouse". And I have to mention it here: Though low voices are sexy... a Belgian accent is really sexy as well... - if you can imagine the combination of both, you know how I feel... *sigh* ;)
If I had you here is a calm song, and it's sung very beautiful. After this song,
Jean Pierre makes us yell "HOI" every time he throws his fist in the air, and a medley
full of songs follows, ending with You make my dreams. The audience is enthusiastic,
and the atmosphere in the theater rises to an even higher level. And when they sing Onderbroekje,
the men totally come loose and laugh a lot. It's such a funny song, about underpants. It's a pity this song
is not on the album. It could have been a funny hidden track :P
Jean Pierre sings I've only begun to fight. Next is Ramaganana,
a song which I already love when it's sung by the original artists, Treble. Two years ago I saw Treble
perform live, and they are so damn good.
This year Treble is the Dutch representative for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Amambanda". Just a little note in between to my German and Belgian readers: Vote for them! They are really great! OK, back to Voice Male. I love the way they interpreted this song and gave the imaginary \ language some kind of a meaning.
It's time to hear the final song of tonight. Iedereen is van de wereld is a great song, sung with a lot of enthusiasm by Jean Pierre. Of course they can't get away without receiving a huge applause. We all stand up and swing and dance when Voice Male returns on stage and sings Footloose. It's great, and this evening has come to an end so quickly! Is it really over already? They return one more time, and tell us they're out of songs. "Do you mind if we start over again?" The cheering, clapping and screaming is very clear. Of course we don't mind. They could sing along for hours, if you'd ask me. They make us countdown, and the audience responds at once, "three, two, one!" They have to start their Standing strong together a little too sudden perhaps... The first strophe is sung in a funny way and for some reason Tijl can't stop laughing. Then, Jo has to laugh as well and he stops singing "Hey guys, this is really too low for me! haha". Because of the sudden start of the song, they've begun to sing it on a wrong tone. They start over again, this time a little higher.
Afterwards...
After the show I buy the album "Goody Bag". Finally I've got it :D Unfortunately I don't have much time
to stay, though I can't make myself leave immediately. I feel too thrilled and crazy. After a little chat
with some people, I leave to meet my friends. Because I rescheduled my weekend so I could see Voice Male,
I have to drive to Zeist this late. I leave Martin waiting for his personal taxi, and I try to make it
to Zeist before midnight, but I arrive at 00:03... I really regret not having a cd player in my car today!
So I make my friends hear Voice Male in the middle of the night. They don't know much about a cappella,
and I can just give you one tip: Don't let people hear Mooie blouse as a first acquaintance with
Voice Male. The look on their faces during the first strophe... ;)
Voice Male dedicates the album "Goody Bag" to themselves, because they worked bloody hard for it. I totally agree and I love their humor :P By the way, can anybody tell me why I keep hearing Crash and burn over and over again? What's so very special about this song? I don't know, but I entirely love it! Word up is another song with a very catchy sound. But I love the complete album, there isn't a single song I'd like to skip. A real YOU-MUST-HAVE-THIS-album.