M-pact
| m-pact | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, a cappella |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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m-pact is a Los Angeles, California-based pop-jazz vocal group[1] founded in June 1995. They are notable for winning the Los Angeles Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year; the 1999 Billboard magazine "Unsigned Band of the Year" award;[2] earning an "Indie" (Independent "Grammy") nomination for their 1999 recording The Carol Commission; and receiving multiple nominations and awards in various categories of the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) and the A Cappella Community Awards (ACAs). The band has released 5 full-length albums, 4 EPs, 6 singles, and have been selected for inclusion on numerous compilations and "best-of" collections. Their newest album, Wonderful World, was released on August 24, 2018, and features eight tracks.
HISTORY
m-pact was originally formed in Seattle, WA in 1995 under the name "Flipside" by founding members Marco Cassone, Trist Curless, Jonathan Gonzales, Carl Kelley, and Matthew Selby. Trist, Jonathan, and Matthew had been music students together in the jazz department of the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, while Marco and Carl were working vocalist-entertainers in the Seattle area. By late 1995, all the band members had settled in Seattle, the band name had been changed to "M-PACT", and they began booking gigs at schools, colleges, fairs, festivals, and private events around the Pacific Northwest.
In May of 1996, less than a year after their inception, m-pact competed in and won the Harmony Sweepstakes - an international competition/festival in which a cappella groups compete in regional events for the opportunity to advance to the national finals in San Rafael, CA. They were also voted "audience favorite" at the same event. Shortly after the performance, the group signed a contract to be represented by Prince-SF Productions for bookings in the performing arts, fair/festival, private/corporate, and college/university markets. Later that year, the band recorded and released their first album, "It's All About Harmony", which featured 5 original tunes and 5 cover songs arranged by members of the group. The album was recorded and produced by then-up-and-coming (and now Grammy-winning) producer, Roger Treece.
The whirlwind of events in 1996 made it clear that m-pact would soon be a full-time touring act. With that realization, band member Carl Kelley decided to resign from the group to focus on spending time with his wife and family. After a nation-wide talent search, m-pact announced the addition of a tenor vocalist from Detroit, MI, Britt Quentin. Like the other band members, Britt brought with him a vocal jazz pedigree, including work as student-arranger and director at Wayne State University under the tutelage of April Arabian-Tini. In addition to his talents as an arranger, Britt's unique vocal range and timbre - with the ability to sing in the female soprano range - would become a hallmark of the "m-pact sound", and would shape their musical direction in profound ways that still influence the group to this day.
Discography
| Released | Album |
|---|---|
| 1996 | It's All About Harmony |
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | The Carol Commission |
| 2001 | Jazz Sampler (EP) |
| 2003 | Limited Edition 6-Song EP (EP) |
| 2004 | Live at The Triple Door |
| 2006 | m-pact |
| 2012 | My Funny Valentine (single) |
| 2013 | I'm Your Superman (single) |
| 2014 | Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours (single) |
| 2014 | Human Nature (single) |
| 2016 | Limited Edition 6-Song Sampler (EP) |
| 2017 | Guillotine (single) |
| 2017 | Come Together (single) |
| 2018 | Wonderful World (EP) |
References
External links
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