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Grants in Action
Five O'Clock Shadow
Voice - The Ultimate Instrument
By Peg Underhill
The Westwood community and middle and high school students were in for a treat when Five O’Clock Shadow, an all-vocal rock band from Boston, visited in November to conduct workshops and a public concert. Five O’Clock Shadow is living proof that a band without instruments can still rock, and they proved it to enthralled audiences!
On Tuesday, November 18th, workshops at Thurston Middle School and Westwood High School introduced the student populations to the techniques this a capella group uses to emulate rock instruments. Band members Dan, Oren, Paul, and Caleb morph their voices into shredding guitar riffs and soaring solos without the benefit of any instruments but their own voices. The group shared with workshop participants how speakers, amps, and microphones can enhance vocals, and then let students and faculty alike give it a try. Thurston Principal Allison Borchers and Life Skills Instructor Susan Costanza were particularly impressive rockers! Next, FOCS’s one-man vocal rhythm section, Stack, demonstrated his “beatbass”: mouth beats and vocal bass thundering forth from his face, inviting more students to take the stage!
In the evening, Five O’Clock Shadow performed a concert at Westwood High School that was open to the public and free of charge due to this grant. The group invited “Passing Notes,” Westwood High School’s a capella choir, to be the opening act. In addition, members of Thurston Middle School’s chorus sang back up with FOCS on a song. The high energy performance of students and FOCS provided an exciting two hour show that brought down the house. The last set was made up entirely of requests, and it’s unbelievable how many songs these guys know. The songs ranged from “Guitar Hero” tunes that the students recognized to current hits and 70’s oldies, giving something for everyone. All in all, it was a night to remember!
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