The House Jacks is a professional
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
quintet from
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, founded in 1991 by
Deke Sharon
Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community. He has been referred to as "th ...
.
The House Jacks describe themselves as a "rock band without instruments", their live shows typically include not only singing but also vocally imitating instruments such as trumpets, guitars, harmonicas and strings as well as taking audience-requests for songs and rendering them in musical styles unlike the original versions.
The group primarily performs original material (unlike most contemporary a cappella groups who focus on cover songs) and is considered the first professional a cappella group to have a dedicated vocal percussionist.
The group routinely tours the United States, Europe and Asia, has recorded numerous jingles and has garnered numerous recording and community awards (see below). The group was signed to
Tommy Boy
''Tommy Boy'' is a 1995 American buddy adventure comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring former ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates and close friends Chris Farley and Davi ...
records (then a part of
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
) from 1994-1997, and Artilier Records (Germany) from 2000-2005.
They can be heard in the background music on NBC's
The Sing-Off
''The Sing-Off'' was an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a ...
in the opening video, commercial transitions and elimination sequences. They have also created comedic bits and jingles for the radio personalities
Mancow Muller
Matthew Erich "Mancow" Muller (born June 21, 1966) is an American radio and television personality, actor, and former child model. Considered a shock jock, his career has been well known for controversy and clashes with the Federal Communicati ...
and
Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show '' The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Coun ...
.
The group performed at the 53rd Monterey Jazz Festival on September 17, 2010. and have performed on stages from
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
to the
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics.
History
The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'')
The fi ...
.
They performed the Monday Night Football Theme "Are You Ready For Some Football" with
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
for the 2011 season.
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
wrote about their inclusion in
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
automobiles, demoing the twelve speaker
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
sound system
Their version of "Since U Been Gone" was adapted for the audition scene in
Pitch Perfect
''Pitch Perfect'' is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knap ...
(Deke Sharon was on site music director, arranger and vocal producer for the film, as well as "Male Voice #1")
Member changes
The original group of seven members met while singing in collegiate groups on the East Coast (
Tufts Beelzebubs, Brown
Jabberwocks,
UNC Clef Hangers UNC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:
Education
* University of Northern California (disambiguation), which may refer to:
** University of Northern California (Santa Rosa), in Petaluma, California, United States
** University of ...
,
The Dartmouth Aires
The Dartmouth Aires is an Ivy League a cappella group from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The group rose to fame in the third season of the NBC musical competition ''The Sing-Off'', placing runner-up behind international a cappell ...
) and relocated to San Francisco to begin the group in September 1991.
Past members include
Kid Beyond
Andrew Chaikin, better known by his stage name Kid Beyond, is an American singer, beatboxer, live looper and voice actor, based in the San Francisco area.
Early career
Chaikin attended Brown University and was a leader in the co-ed fraternity Z ...
, Rob Penn, Garth Kravits, Bert Bacco,
Wes Carroll
Wes Carroll (born September 27, 1970, in Schererville, Indiana) is known as a pioneer and teacher of mouth drumming, a form of vocal percussion from the musical genre of contemporary a cappella, now widely known as beatboxing.
Career in A ...
, and Antonio Medrano.
Band Lineups
Present
*Mark Joseph: vocals
*John Pointer: vocals,
Beatboxing
Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. , instrument mimicry
*Nick Girard:
Vocal percussion
Vocal 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
Recent ...
, vocals, vocal bass
*Austin Willacy: vocals
*Gregory Fletcher: vocal bass, vocals
2015-2017
*Nick Girard:
Vocal percussion
Vocal 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
Recent ...
, vocals, vocal bass
*Matt Sallee: vocal bass, vocals
*Mark Joseph: vocals
*John Pointer: vocals,
Beatboxing
Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. , instrument mimicry
*Austin Willacy: vocals
2012-2015
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Austin Willacy: vocals
*John Pointer: vocals, beatboxing, instrument mimicry
*Elliot Robinson: vocal bass, vocals
*Nick Girard: vocal percussion, vocals, vocal bass
2010-2012
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Austin Willacy: vocals
*Roopak Ahuja: vocal, instrument mimicry
*Troy Horne: vocal bass, vocals
*Jake Moulton: vocal percussion, beatboxing, instrument mimicry
2008-2010
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Austin Willacy: vocals
*Roopak Ahuja: vocal, instrument mimicry
*Antonio Medrano: vocal bass, vocals
*Jake Moulton: vocal percussion, beatboxing, instrument mimicry
2006-2008
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Austin Willacy: vocals
*Roopak Ahuja: vocal, instrument mimicry
*Antonio Medrano: vocal bass, vocals
*Wes Carroll: vocal percussion, vocals
1998-2006
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Austin Willacy: vocals
*Garth Kravits: vocals
*Bert Bacco: vocal bass, vocals
*Wes Carroll: vocal percussion, vocals
1993-1998
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Rob Penn: vocals
*Austin Willacy: vocals
*Tristan Bishop: vocals
*Bert Bacco: vocal bass, vocals
*Andrew Chaikin: vocal percussion
1992-1993
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Rob Penn: vocals
*Tristan Bishop: vocals
*Bert Bacco: vocal bass, vocals
*Andrew Chaikin: vocal percussion
*Marty Mahoney: vocals
1991-1992
*Deke Sharon: vocals, instrument mimicry
*Rob Penn: vocals
*Tristan Bishop: vocals
*Bert Bacco: vocal bass, vocals
*Andrew Chaikin: vocal percussion
*Marty Mahoney: vocals
*Brannon Wiles: vocals
Timeline
Discography
Awards
*Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)
**2004
***Best Pop/Rock Album: ''Unbroken''
***Best Best Pop/Rock Original Song: "Good Things" from ''Unbroken''
**2006
***Best Original Song: "This Man's Pride" from "Fitchy & Grikko"
**2007
***Runner Up, Best Pop/Rock Album: ''Get Down Mr. President!!''
**2011
***Best Pop/Rock Album: ''Level''
***Best Pop/Rock Original Song: "Red Dress" from ''Level''
***Best Professional Original Song: "You Were Everything" from ''Level''
**2015
***Best Pop/Rock Album: ''Pollen''
***Best Original Song by a Professional Group: "Talk2Me" from ''Pollen''
***Runner Up: Best Pop/Rock Song: "As It Falls Apart" from ''Pollen''
***Runner Up: Best HipHop/R&B Song: "Talk2Me" from ''Pollen''
*A Cappella Community Awards (ACAs)
**2010
***Favorite Vocal Percussionist: Jake Moulton
***Favorite Songwriter: Austin Willacy
***Favorite Arranger: Deke Sharon
***Favorite Moment: Jake Moulton's turntables from House Jacks SoJam performance
**2011
***Favorite Professional Album: Level
***Favorite Male Vocalist: Roopak Ahuja (runner up)
***Favorite Vocal Percussionist: Jake Moulton
***Favorite Songwriter: Austin Willacy
***Favorite Song That Doesn't Sound A Cappella: "You Were Everything" from ''Level''
***Favorite Original Song: "Red Dress" from ''Level''
***Favorite Album Art: Level
Footnotes
External links
*
Facebook fan pageGroup Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:House Jacks
Professional a cappella groups
Musical quintets
Musical groups from San Francisco
Musical groups established in 1991
1991 establishments in California