The Other Guys (University of St Andrews)
Encyclopedia
The Other Guys is an all-male a cappella
ensemble from the University of St Andrews
, Scotland
. The group was founded in 2004 and has been one of the groups responsible for the rise of collegiate a cappella
in Scotland.
The group sings an eclectic mix of songs and are best known for their YouTube
hit "Royal Romance", a tribute to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
based upon Lady GaGa
's Bad Romance
, which also incorporated tracks from Gustav Holst
, The Human League
and Michael Jackson
. As of 3 August 2011, the song had gained over 650,000 views.
singing in New York City
for the University Glee Club of New York City and in Westport, Connecticut at the Java Jam - a concert of American Collegiate A Cappella Groups at Greens Farms Academy. After three years spent increasing their reputation in both St. Andrews and Scotland, they released their debut album, Indecent Exposure in May 2007, which included covers of tracks by Seal
, The Backstreet Boys and Chris DeBurgh.
In the winter of 2007, St Andrews hosted the quarter-finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
(ICCAs) for the first time. The Other Guys went on to win this regional round and progressed to the Western European Final in London.
On 12 May 2008, the group released their second studio album The Damage is Done, which included a mash-up
of two Scouting For Girls
tracks, "Elvis Ain't Dead
" and "She's So Lovely
", and a rewritten version of "Gangsta's Paradise
" which was renamed "Golfer's Paradise", referring to the status of St. Andrews as the 'Home of Golf
'.
The Other Guys won the ICCA quarter-final again in 2008, where David Borowsky was awarded 'Outstanding Vocal Percussionist' at both the St Andrews round and Western European Final.
(VF-UK) in 2009, The Other Guys proceeded to compete in one of the three semi-finals on 7 March 2009 in St. Andrews. Tenor
David Borowsky won the award for 'Outstanding Solo' for the performance of "Desperado
", and the group went through to the London
final, where Borowsky went on to win the 'Outstanding Solo' award once again.
On 1 May 2009, the group released their third studio album, entitled Well Sung. This incorporated for the first time a guest vocalist, and several well known hymns, including "Amazing Grace
" and "Auld Lang Syne
". The album was launched in a special performance at Younger Hall in St Andrews, and was well received throughout the university and by Rector
Kevin Dunion
.
On 6 March 2010, the group entered the Voice Festival UK for the second time, where bass
Iain Glen won the 'Outstanding Arrangement' for his arrangement of Sara Bareilles
' "Gravity".
.
Filming and recording on "Royal Romance" began in March 2011. The video was cut and edited at the beginning of April and was released onto YouTube on 11 April 2011, to celebrate the Royal Wedding and to 'put a smile on people's faces'. Within a week, the video had earned recognition in the United Kingdom
, the United States
, Australia
, and India
. The group made their first TV appearance in a report on Five News
on 14 April 2011 and later on STV News. The video was also featured on The Today Show
in America as part of their 'Webtastic' section. The group also received praise from Eric Whitacre
, an eminent American composer and conductor, who described their video and sound as 'awesome', in a communication on Facebook.
After the success of the video in St Andrews in particular, the group were invited by Louise Richardson
, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the university, to perform at the Principal's Awards Dinner at Lower College Hall on Wednesday 20 April. Their first public performance post-video was in the Byre Theatre
bar, where they performed a set of eleven songs, including "Royal Romance", some of which involved several former members of the group.
The group performed three times in St Salvator's Quadrangle in St Andrews on Friday 29 April 2011 as part of the celebrations of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Each time they performed "Royal Romance" along with other songs from their repertoire, including "Canned Heat
" and "Kiss From A Rose
", the other two songs from their set at the VF-UK Semi Final. They also appeared on ITV
's morning show Daybreak
.
On 3 July the group were invited to perform at Fettes College
as part of their Mad Hatter's Tea Party, raising money for the Muir Maxwell Trust and the Fettes College Trust alongside several other acts. The group performed "Royal Romance", "Kiss From A Rose" and "Golfer's Paradise" in front of a large host of guests, including Barbara Windsor
, Christopher Biggins
and Martin Bayfield
.
, who did the mixing and editing, and music producers Diovoce, who mastered the album.
The group also announced that a 'significant proportion of any profits made' will be donated to the scholarship at the University of St Andrews that was set up in dedication to William and Kate.
On 1 October, the group performed at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Gala in front of a host of celebrities, including professional golfers Colin Montgomerie
and Rory McIlroy
, and actors Liz Hurley, Hugh Grant
and Michael Douglas
.
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...
ensemble from the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The group was founded in 2004 and has been one of the groups responsible for the rise of collegiate a cappella
Collegiate a cappella
Collegiate a cappella ensembles are student-run and -directed singing groups that perform entirely without instruments. Such groups can be found at many colleges and universities in the United States, and increasingly worldwide....
in Scotland.
The group sings an eclectic mix of songs and are best known for their YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
hit "Royal Romance", a tribute to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
based upon Lady GaGa
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's Bad Romance
Bad Romance
"Bad Romance" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the lead single from her third extended play , and second major release The Fame Monster . Written by Lady Gaga and produced by RedOne, the track was inspired by Gaga's fear of negative love relationships and the...
, which also incorporated tracks from Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
, The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. As of 3 August 2011, the song had gained over 650,000 views.
2004-08: Formation and Early Years
The group was founded in 2004 by a group of friends who wanted to bring the American tradition of collegiate a cappella to the university. In the spring of 2005, the newly founded group went on its first international tour to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for the University Glee Club of New York City and in Westport, Connecticut at the Java Jam - a concert of American Collegiate A Cappella Groups at Greens Farms Academy. After three years spent increasing their reputation in both St. Andrews and Scotland, they released their debut album, Indecent Exposure in May 2007, which included covers of tracks by Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, The Backstreet Boys and Chris DeBurgh.
In the winter of 2007, St Andrews hosted the quarter-finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella , is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year...
(ICCAs) for the first time. The Other Guys went on to win this regional round and progressed to the Western European Final in London.
On 12 May 2008, the group released their second studio album The Damage is Done, which included a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of two Scouting For Girls
Scouting for Girls
Scouting for Girls are a Brit and Ivor Novello nominated band from London, formed in 2005 by Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Peter Ellard. Stride and Ellard met in the Cub Scouts and Churchouse met Stride on their first day at school. They have sold over 1.2 million albums and over 1.5 million...
tracks, "Elvis Ain't Dead
Elvis Ain't Dead
"Elvis Ain't Dead" is a song by British band Scouting for Girls. It was released as a single on December 17, 2007.-Music video:The music video for "Elvis Ain't Dead" was recorded in a studio and involved the band members simply playing the song. There are shots of Roy Stride wandering around town...
" and "She's So Lovely
She's So Lovely
She's So Lovely is a 1997 film directed by Nick Cassavetes, written by the late John Cassavetes. At the time of its release, it received special attention because, eight years after his death, it was the first film to posthumously feature new material from John Cassavetes.The film stars Sean Penn...
", and a rewritten version of "Gangsta's Paradise
Gangsta's Paradise
Gangsta's Paradise is the second album by rapper Coolio, released on November 21, 1995. The album contained three hits: "Gangsta's Paradise", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, "1, 2, 3, 4 ", which reached #5, and "Too Hot," which peaked at #24.-Track listing:-Samples and...
" which was renamed "Golfer's Paradise", referring to the status of St. Andrews as the 'Home of Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
'.
The Other Guys won the ICCA quarter-final again in 2008, where David Borowsky was awarded 'Outstanding Vocal Percussionist' at both the St Andrews round and Western European Final.
2009-10: Well Sung
Following the formation of The Voice Festival UKThe Voice Festival UK
The Voice Festival UK is the only UK-wide festival which celebrates the art of unaccompanied singing.The Festival's central purpose is to increase the awareness and popularity of the a cappella art form in the UK, and to support the development of the existing UK a cappella scene, by recruiting...
(VF-UK) in 2009, The Other Guys proceeded to compete in one of the three semi-finals on 7 March 2009 in St. Andrews. Tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
David Borowsky won the award for 'Outstanding Solo' for the performance of "Desperado
Desperado (song)
"Desperado" is a soft rock song by the Eagles, an American rock band, written by group members Glenn Frey and Don Henley. It first appeared on the 1973 album Desperado, and has later appeared on numerous compilation albums although it was not a single....
", and the group went through to the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
final, where Borowsky went on to win the 'Outstanding Solo' award once again.
On 1 May 2009, the group released their third studio album, entitled Well Sung. This incorporated for the first time a guest vocalist, and several well known hymns, including "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
" and "Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song . It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight...
". The album was launched in a special performance at Younger Hall in St Andrews, and was well received throughout the university and by Rector
Rector of the University of St Andrews
The Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews is a university official chosen every three years by the students of the University of St Andrews...
Kevin Dunion
Kevin Dunion
Kevin Dunion OBE is the first and current Scottish Information Commissioner, as well as the current Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews.-Early life:...
.
On 6 March 2010, the group entered the Voice Festival UK for the second time, where bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
Iain Glen won the 'Outstanding Arrangement' for his arrangement of Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...
' "Gravity".
Early 2011: "Royal Romance"
The following year, on 4 March 2011, the group entered the VFUK competition for the third time. Due to the rising popularity of university a cappella in the UK, there were five semi-finals and as such, the number of groups qualifying from each semi-final was reduced from two to one. The Other Guys won awards for 'Outstanding Musicality', 'Outstanding Arrangement' for their performance of "Royal Romance", and tenor Henry Synge was 'Highly Commended' for his solo on "Kiss From A RoseKiss from a Rose
"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album Seal . The song was first released as a single in July 1994. Re-released in 1995, it was included on the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the U.S. and Australia. It took the 1996 Grammy Awards for both...
.
Filming and recording on "Royal Romance" began in March 2011. The video was cut and edited at the beginning of April and was released onto YouTube on 11 April 2011, to celebrate the Royal Wedding and to 'put a smile on people's faces'. Within a week, the video had earned recognition in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The group made their first TV appearance in a report on Five News
Five News
5 News is the news programme of British broadcaster Channel 5, produced by Sky News. From 1 January 2005, Sky News was awarded the contract to provide the news for Channel 5, replacing ITN, which had provided the channel's news service from the channel's launch in 1997...
on 14 April 2011 and later on STV News. The video was also featured on The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
in America as part of their 'Webtastic' section. The group also received praise from Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre is an American composer, conductor and lecturer. He is one of the most popular and performed composers of his generation. In 2008, the all-Whitacre choral CD Cloudburst became an international best-seller, topping the classical charts and earning a Grammy nomination...
, an eminent American composer and conductor, who described their video and sound as 'awesome', in a communication on Facebook.
After the success of the video in St Andrews in particular, the group were invited by Louise Richardson
Louise Richardson
Professor Louise Richardson FRSE is a political scientist whose specialist field is the study of terrorism...
, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the university, to perform at the Principal's Awards Dinner at Lower College Hall on Wednesday 20 April. Their first public performance post-video was in the Byre Theatre
Byre Theatre
The Byre Theatre is a theatre in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The original Byre Theatre was founded in 1933 by Alexander B Paterson, a local journalist and playwright, with help from a theatre group made up from members of Hope Park Church, St Andrews....
bar, where they performed a set of eleven songs, including "Royal Romance", some of which involved several former members of the group.
The group performed three times in St Salvator's Quadrangle in St Andrews on Friday 29 April 2011 as part of the celebrations of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Each time they performed "Royal Romance" along with other songs from their repertoire, including "Canned Heat
Canned Heat (song)
"Canned Heat" is the second single from British funk band Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized, released in 1999. The song was their second #1 on the U.S. Dance Chart and peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund...
" and "Kiss From A Rose
Kiss from a Rose
"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album Seal . The song was first released as a single in July 1994. Re-released in 1995, it was included on the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the U.S. and Australia. It took the 1996 Grammy Awards for both...
", the other two songs from their set at the VF-UK Semi Final. They also appeared on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's morning show Daybreak
Daybreak (ITV)
Daybreak is the weekday breakfast television programme on the British commercial ITV network that broadcasts on weekday mornings from 06:00 to 08:30 and is currently presented by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley from Monday to Thursday with Dan Lobb and Kate Garraway on Fridays...
.
On 3 July the group were invited to perform at Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
as part of their Mad Hatter's Tea Party, raising money for the Muir Maxwell Trust and the Fettes College Trust alongside several other acts. The group performed "Royal Romance", "Kiss From A Rose" and "Golfer's Paradise" in front of a large host of guests, including Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
, Christopher Biggins
Christopher Biggins
Christopher Kenneth Biggins is an English actor and media personality.-Career:Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England and brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where he took elocution lessons and participated in local drama groups...
and Martin Bayfield
Martin Bayfield
Martin Christopher Bayfield is an English former rugby union footballer who played lock forward for Northampton Saints, Bedford Blues and England, gaining 31 England and 3 Lions caps.Bayfield was born in Bedford...
.
Late 2011-present: Barely Regal
In late June, the group announced on their Facebook page that recording on their latest studio album, Barely Regal would begin on 27 June. On 7 July, it was announced that recording on the album was complete. The album was released on 5 September. The group worked with American professional a cappella group OverboardOverboard (a cappella)
Overboard is a male a cappella group based in Boston, MA. The group's repertoire consists of a cappella covers of popular contemporary pop/rock artists, such as Train, The Script, and Rascal Flatts, and of a cappella standards, such as "Blue Moon", "In the Still of the Night" and "Stand by Me".-...
, who did the mixing and editing, and music producers Diovoce, who mastered the album.
The group also announced that a 'significant proportion of any profits made' will be donated to the scholarship at the University of St Andrews that was set up in dedication to William and Kate.
On 1 October, the group performed at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Gala in front of a host of celebrities, including professional golfers Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
and Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is a Northern Irish professional golfer from Holywood in County Down. He has represented Europe, Great Britain & Ireland, and Ireland as both an amateur and a professional. He had a successful amateur career, topping the World Amateur Golf Ranking for one week as a 17-year-old in 2007...
, and actors Liz Hurley, Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
and Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
.
Current members
- Henry Synge - Tenor
- David Borowsky - Tenor/Vocal PercussionVocal percussionVocal percussion is the art of creating sounds with one's mouth that approximate, imitate, or otherwise serve the same purpose as a percussion instrument, whether in a group of singers, an instrumental ensemble, or solo.-In Western music:...
- Ollie Boesen - Tenor
- Matthew Pattie - Tenor
- Andrew Pattie - Tenor
- Rob Baggott La Velle - BaritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
- Matt Hinckley - Baritone (Musical Director)
- Mark Gregory - Baritone
- Richard Hanford - Bass
- Iain Glen - Bass (Business Manager)
- Richard Phillips - Bass
Notable Alumni
- Jules Knight completed his MA in Art History at the university and then studied at the Central School of Speech and DramaCentral School of Speech and DramaThe Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
. He later co-founded the successful classicalClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
vocal quartet Blake.Blake (band)Blake are a classical vocal quartet. They are widely known as the group who formed on Facebook.They released their debut album "Blake" in November 2007, which won the Album of the Year Award at the Classical BRIT Awards in 2008...
Studio Albums
- Indecent Exposure (2006)
- The Damage Is Done (2007)
- Well Sung (2009)
- Barely Regal (2011)