Singin’ a new tune
Nothin’ but Treble debuts first studio CD
Photo Courtesy of Shannon Fatehi
Tech female a capella group Nothin’ But Treble’s debut CD is due to be released next Friday, April 21. The group is performing in concert at the old Architecture Building on the day of release.
After years of planning and a semester spent recording, editing and perfecting, Nothin’ but Treble will release
A compilation of 13 songs of the popular, rock and country genres, Caught Red-Handed represents the product of a hard-working, talented and diverse group of old and new members.
The record features performances of tracks such as “Head Over Feet” by Alanis Morisette, “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys and “Come Home Soon” by the Dixie Chicks. At the concert, the group will perform pieces from the CD in addition to its usual routine.
One of the most impressive aspects of the production of Caught Red-Handed is that it was handled entirely by the organization itself. The girls of Nothin’ but Treble used whatever resources they could get their hands on, working within a limited budget. Shannon Fatehi, the group’s music director and a fourth-year Biomedical Engineering major, gave the ’Nique an inside look at the process.
Fatehi has been involved in Nothin’ but Treble for eight semesters
“It was a lot of fun,” Fatehi said. “We were starting from nothing and ended up making this contraption that was... our own studio. We took a screen and took egg crate [bedding] and stapled it to frame to make a sound-proof recording studio. We had a recording retreat where we spent all day recording over and over again.”
With creative tricks like the screen-bedding homemade studio, Nothin’ but Treble stopped at nothing when it came to getting the right sound for the album.
“One of girls sings really low, and she wanted to make sure she could hit her very lowest note at one of her songs,” Fatehi said, “So she got up first thing in the morning and did all her recording. We did all kinds of fun stuff like that just to get the sound that we wanted.”
The project was very demanding but rewarding, according to Fatehi.
“We released a live CD a while ago, but this is our first professional studio CD,” Fatehi said. “It’s really been a turning point for our group. You have to do so much work to get to the point where you’d even be able to do this. We have a lot of hard-working girls and lot of musically gifted people.”
The album’s title comes from the organization’s name—females tend to perform as trebles (Nothin’ but Treble) and the group is “in trouble” (“Caught Red Handed”).
The name, Fatehi said, allowed for creativity in CD art and concert ideas.
Fund raising for the CD took years, according to Fatehi. Most of the money came from ticket sales for concerts at Tech and private gigs.
“[The CD project] was a pretty big financial undertaking,” she said. “We had been planning it for a while. We learned a lot from [Tech’s all-male a capella group, Sympathetic Vibrations], who produced their first CD before us. Getting all the equipment and everything took about a year. We have been raising money for a long time.”
After the girls finished recording and editing, Nothin’ but Treble sent the album off to a mixer based in Boston, Mass.
Once the record goes through a duplicating company, it will be ready to sell.
The group is charging $5 for entry to next Friday’s concert and will sell Caught Red-Handed for $15 a disc.
There will also be a release party after the concert.
“This project is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done at Tech,” Fatehi said. “I’m really proud of it. The songs sound great.”
Nothin but Treble was founded in 1998 by Dipika Jain. The organization came out of the A Capella Club, which still exists and includes both Nothin but Treble as well as the all-male a-capella group Sympathetic Vibrations.
The group often rehearses twice a week and has performed at events and shows such as the Vagina Monologues, Presidential Scholar’s Weekend and Rockapella. More information about Nothin but Treble and upcoming concerts as well as audio clips from “Caught Red Handed” can be found at www.nothinbuttreble.com.
Caught Red-Handed song list
- “Head Over Feet” by Alanis Morisette
- “Hold On for One More Day” by Wilson Phillips
- “No Rain” by Blind Melon
- “Swing, Swing” by the All American Rejects
- “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield
- “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows
- “Come Home Soon” by the Dixie Chicks
- “Breathe” by Michelle Branch
- “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys
- “Homewrecker” by Gretchen Wilson
- “Hush” by Angie Aparo
- “Somebody for Someone” by the Corrs
- “More than Words” by Extreme
