Those who managed to spend their time on the UW-Madison campus without hearing Madison's premiere male a cappella group, either by attending one of their other concerts performed during the year, or by being MadHattered"" on the street, can get more than their vocal-injected fill this weekend.
Aside from a two-night engagement at the Overture Center, the UW MadHatters are releasing their latest album, _Not For Credit_ this weekend. The album boasts songs both performed and arranged by the 17-man choir, with songs by Phil Vassar to Sir Elton John.
Though hardcore Hatter followers may be disappointed to find a few fan favorites such as ""Collide"" missing from the disc, the album's strength comes from the wide variety of a cappella music present in just 12 tracks. The pop-rock staples are there of course, with Eddie Money's ""Take Me Home Tonight,"" as well a Justin Timberlake medley, giving the album a nice touch of hip-hop.
""'Take Me Home Tonight' was learned by the group two and half years ago, but we never recorded it until now, knowing that the fans love it,"" said junior Mike Jurken, who is in his second year with the group.
On choosing which of the songs would make it to the album, Jurken explained, ""[MadHatter alumnus] Joe Salvo picked what the group was particularly strong with. Also I think some of it had to do with what we enjoy singing, like the 'Lion King' medley.""
The MadHatters' concert this weekend will showcase a partially new set of singers.
""We've got six new guys who are all pretty young, so we're really excited to get them their stage legs,"" said junior Jon Wenzel, who is in his third year with the group.
""They're all musical guys, and very, very talented, so from a musical standpoint the transition hasn't been too difficult,"" said junior John Leonard, also in his third year with MadHatters.
Aside from the ""Lion King"" and Justin Timberlake medleys, the songs are mostly a mix of indie pop-rock, the exception being the hauntingly beautiful live version of the more classical ""Prayer of the Children."" As the last track on the disc, it is a reminder that these gentlemen can exhibit fine musicianship as well as belt out great pop tunes.
""I think musically, this album is up a step from the others, just by our adding little extra things to make an even fuller sound,"" Leonard said.
The impressive ""Lion King"" medley combines dead-on ""Lion King"" character impressions with tight vocal blending.
""The 'Lion King' was probably the most challenging piece on the album,"" said Jurken. ""[Vocal Percussionist] Vidal [Quevedo] spent a lot of time on it. People might not believe it, but every sound on that track was made by a mouth, down to the bird noises.""
Other standout tracks include Snow Patrol's ""Chasin' Cars"" with a subdued but beautiful solo from Madhatter alum Andy Jeske. The third track on the album, ""I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever),"" arranged by alums Salvo and Bear Bellinger was selected for the Best of Collegiate A Cappella (BOCA) 2008 album.
The album will be released this weekend as they kick-off their fall concert series at the Capitol Theatre in the Overture Center.
""We're ecstatic about it,"" said Jurken. ""It's such a cool venue, a really intimate setting. And it's not just a concert; we have a skit, so everyone will get to see us goof around up there.""
""The kind of following we've been getting from the fans, selling out the Overture Center, it's incredibly humbling."" said Leonard.
""What the album is about, the backbone of our group, is 'not for credit,'"" said Jurken. ""At the end of the day we're a group of guys who get up and sing, and were not doing it for any other reason than the passion of music and the passion of making other people happy.""
