John Jay High School A Cappella Group The Rolling Tones Will Open for Naturally 7 at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Sept. 15
More than just an a cappella group, Naturally 7 is a band without a band who summon up soul, rap, rock and folk in one harmonious balance using only the power of the human voice – seven human voices, actually.
Naturally 7 not only sings but also creates every backing instrument heard on its songs. We're talking drums, bass, guitars, horns, flutes ... even down to turntables. Naturally 7 rose to prominence in 2007 after their viral video of the group singing Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" on a Paris subway train exploded on YouTube.
After Michael Bublé tapped the group as his worldwide touring partner, Naturally 7 has since headlined the Playboy Jazz Festival, played London's Royal Albert Hall, performed at the BET Honors for Herbie Hancock, and were invited to sing at Quincy Jones' 75th birthday party in Montreux, Switzerland. They most recently wowed audiences on CBS’ “World’s Best” with their stunning rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You.” Naturally 7 returns to The Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, September 15 at 7:30pm, with their 20th anniversary tour, part of Pepsi Rock Series powered by Xfinity.
Opening for Naturally 7 will be none other than the Rolling Tones a John Jay High School a cappella group! Visit 850 Degrees Wood Fired Restaurant (424 R. Main Street, Ridgefield) for dinner before the show and enjoy a complimentary draft beer with purchase of an entree when you show your ticket! Media partner for this event is 94.3 WYBC, The Rhythm of The City.
In a music world rife with technological tricks of the trade, one vital commodity is getting lost in the shuffle: the beauty of the human voice. Enter Naturally 7. Its members have perfected an intriguing a cappella style they've branded as "Vocal Play" -- singing as instruments. Seven guys, multiple ways of making music using only their voices. Every band member has his preferred style, or favorite songs and together they can interpret them all. What they do is far more than a cappella. Stepping beyond R&B and pop, Naturally 7 taps into various genres from traditional gospel and rock to 17th century baroque that, on the surface, don't seem to mesh. But, in the hands of musical director/first baritone/rapper Thomas and his six enterprising cohorts -- brother Warren Thomas (drums, third tenor), Rod Eldridge (first tenor, turntables, trumpet), Napoleon "Polo" Cummings (fourth tenor, guitar), Dwight Stewart (second baritone, trombone), Garfield Buckley (second tenor, harmonica) and Armand "Hops" Hutton (bass) -- the impossible becomes possible. The group gives a nod to its spiritual influences (many of them have a background singing in church choirs) by sampling Mahalia Jackson's gospel classic "Trouble of the World" on the beautiful and raw "Mahalia." Scoring a musical coup, Naturally 7 samples Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" on "Galileo." Notes Thomas, "We're the first in the world licensed to sample the rock band, and we're honored to be able to do that."
The Rolling Tones are a 16 member all-male a cappella group from John Jay High School in Cross River, New York. They are a continuously evolving group made up of freshman through seniors. This past year they won 2nd place at the GILDAS Club Annual A Cappella Competition. The group covers everything from Santana to The Backstreet Boys.