Sunday in the Park

Yesterday evening, I went to a small concert in the park where the a cappella group The Nylons were performing.

I've always been a fan of a cappella music, though The Nylons are admittedly not my favorite among the more widely known groups. Several years back, as one of the many random questions that comes up during the annual KVSC Trivia Contest, I discovered an unconventional group called The Bobs. They "play around" with sound, for lack of a better way to describe it -- frequently employing strange vocal sound effects to produce a richer sound. And they're just a lot more fun than most other a cappella groups. (Drunken college efforts notwithstanding.)

By contrast, The Nylons are pretty straight up (aside from their use of a drum machine, which some a cappella purists frown upon). It's a clean sound; not really "barbershop quartet," but not quite a sound distinctly of its own either.

Nevertheless, they give a throughly enjoyable concert. Despite the fact it was the first really cold evening in Denver this season, and that a sprinkle of rain bookended the two-hour show, it was a rather pleasant night to be out. The group performed most of the songs they're best known for, did a few "deeper cuts" from their various albums, and even offered up a few new songs (like an improvised take on a Smokey Robinson classic, and a version of John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change).

Their finale, as you'd expect, was The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and it actually went completely against my expectations from the group. Everything I just said about not playing with odd vocalizations or unusual styles? Well, that may be true of their studio recordings, but this live performance of the song was a complete departure from the recorded version, and really very neat.

So, as I said, an enjoyable evening out. The group has changed all but one of its original members, but it still tours quite regularly, so if you're a fan of a cappella music and they happen to stop near you, you should check them out.