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After Dark (Washington University in St. Louis)
Encyclopedia
After Dark is a co-ed a cappella
group at Washington University in St. Louis
specializing in contemporary rock
and pop music
.
since September of 2001. The group was founded by former members Laura Butler, Cara Shugoll, Greg Hitt, and Erin Hickey. After Dark has performed at various venues, including St. Louis University, University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin–Madison
, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, on the nationally syndicated Steve & DC Morning Show, at the St. Louis Club, on MSNBC’s Hardball
during coverage of the 2004 Presidential Debates, and on CBS's The Early Show
during the 2008 Vice-Presidential Debates.
In the spring of 2005, After Dark was awarded Midwest divisional runner-up at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella at the University of Illinois competition, where they also received the Outstanding Soloist award for Julie Kling's performance of “Gotta Be.” After Dark’s runner-up position allowed the group to advance to the Midwest Semi-Finals of the competition.
In August 2005, After Dark released its first studio album, entitled Whoa Bundy. The opening track, "I Want You Back," was chosen for the CAMO compilation Top Shelf A Cappella Volume II. After Dark's second studio album, Eclipse, was released in August 2007 to critical acclaim. The group's third album, Aftermath, was released in February 2011.
After Dark puts on an annual concert, "A Light From the Darkness," in Washington University's Graham Chapel each January. They hold auditions at the beginning of each fall semester. Since 2006, they have participated in an annual charitable benefit concert known as "Rhythms for Rebuilding."
In 2008, After Dark was recognized by the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, presented by the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA), for tracks off Eclipse: "Mama's Room" won for Best Co-Ed Collegiate Song and was named runner-up for Best Co-Ed Collegiate Arrangement. Jazzy Danziger was nominated for the Best Mixed Solo Award for her performance of "Ready for Love" (CASA),.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
specializing in contemporary rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
History
After Dark has been singing at Washington UniversityWashington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
since September of 2001. The group was founded by former members Laura Butler, Cara Shugoll, Greg Hitt, and Erin Hickey. After Dark has performed at various venues, including St. Louis University, University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, on the nationally syndicated Steve & DC Morning Show, at the St. Louis Club, on MSNBC’s Hardball
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
during coverage of the 2004 Presidential Debates, and on CBS's The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
during the 2008 Vice-Presidential Debates.
In the spring of 2005, After Dark was awarded Midwest divisional runner-up at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella at the University of Illinois competition, where they also received the Outstanding Soloist award for Julie Kling's performance of “Gotta Be.” After Dark’s runner-up position allowed the group to advance to the Midwest Semi-Finals of the competition.
In August 2005, After Dark released its first studio album, entitled Whoa Bundy. The opening track, "I Want You Back," was chosen for the CAMO compilation Top Shelf A Cappella Volume II. After Dark's second studio album, Eclipse, was released in August 2007 to critical acclaim. The group's third album, Aftermath, was released in February 2011.
After Dark puts on an annual concert, "A Light From the Darkness," in Washington University's Graham Chapel each January. They hold auditions at the beginning of each fall semester. Since 2006, they have participated in an annual charitable benefit concert known as "Rhythms for Rebuilding."
Recent Recognition
After Dark's second studio album, "Eclipse," was released in August 2007, and reviewed by the Recorded A Cappella Review Board. The track "Snakes on a Plane [Bring It]" received a perfect score and was described as "one of the best tracks of the year" by reviewer Jevan Soo (RARB). Later, the song "Mama's Room" was chosen for the compilations "Voices Only 2007" (Voices Only) and "Sing IV" (SING). "Ready for Love" was chosen for "Voices Only 2008", and "Worn Me Down" was chosen for an AcaTunes Favorites award (http://www.acatunes.com/AcaTunes).In 2008, After Dark was recognized by the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, presented by the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA), for tracks off Eclipse: "Mama's Room" won for Best Co-Ed Collegiate Song and was named runner-up for Best Co-Ed Collegiate Arrangement. Jazzy Danziger was nominated for the Best Mixed Solo Award for her performance of "Ready for Love" (CASA),.
| Year | Presenter | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Midwest Quarterfinal | Overall | 2nd place |
| Outstanding soloist | Julie Kling, "Gotta Be" | ||
| 2005 | CAMO Top Shelf A Cappella II | "I Want You Back" from Whoa Bundy | |
| 2007 | Voices Only 2007 | "Mama's Room" from Eclipse | |
| 2007 | Sing IV | "Mama's Room" from Eclipse | |
| 2007 | Acatunes.com Award | "Worn Me Down" from Eclipse | |
| 2008 | Voices Only 2008 | "Ready for Love" from Eclipse | |
| 2008 | CARA Award Nominations | Best Mixed Collegiate Solo | Jazzy Danziger, "Ready for Love" |
| 2008 | CARA Awards | Best Mixed Collegiate Song | "Mama's Room" (Winner) |
| Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement | Jazzy Danziger, "Mama's Room" (Runner-up) |
Whoa Bundy (2005)
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