I went to a Postmodern Jukebox concert over the weekend, or what I like to call a “talent clinic”. Holy crap, they were amazing!
If you’ve never heard of them, they’re technically a cover band but they re-interpret pop songs as snazzy, jazzy tunes. For example…this!
I think I have a man-crush on Casey Abrams…
Anyway, there was a full band, six singers, and even a tap-dancer, all of them oozing with talent. The audience was whipped into a frenzy (especially when they played What Is Love) and didn’t sit down for the last 15-or-so minutes of the show. The set list included Creep by Radiohead, My Heart Will Go On by Celene Dion, and Seven-Nation Army by White Stripes, each version more innovative than the last. In honor of Mother’s Day, their encore performance was a breakneck-speed version of “Stacy’s Mom Has Got It Going On”. These folks put on an unforgettable performance!
TIP OF THE WEEK
The question of talent comes up a lot in the voiceover profession. As in who has it, who doesn’t, and who relies solely upon it to succeed (or fail, as it were).
Postmodern Jukebox is one of the most talented group of artists I’ve ever seen. Their individual talent levels were impressive, but their dedication to their craft, their energy, their work ethic, their ability to work as a team, and Zod-only-knows how much practice is what makes them memorable.
Do you have a deep voice or can sound like a chipmunk and think that that alone will make you a successful voice talent? No shot, my friend. You will not get “discovered”, a “big break”, “lucky”, or whatever you want to call it. Success means working hard, really really hard, and I don’t mean on just your performance skills.
Do you think those PMJ folks just roll out of bed and do what they do flawlessly and in sync? FYI they did play Bye Bye Bye by Nsync. Just sayin’. Of course not. They got proper training, practiced a lot, and practiced well. Geoff Colvin calls it “deliberate practice”. Pick up a copy of “Talent Is Overrated” to see what I mean.
NEWS AND NOTES
Reminder! The VoiceOVer Xtra “Workflow and Analysis” webinar is this Wednesday May 17th @9PM EST. It will be archived so you don’t have to tune in live, but if you do you can hang out in the chat room with other cool voicers and ask me questions. Click here to register.
HAPPY HAPPYS
Happy Chocolate Chip Day and Drawing Day!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
From my village to yours; this is Tom Dheere, The H is Silent, but I’m Not.
Tom Dheere is a 20-year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for clients in over a dozen countries. He is also a coach at Edge Studio, voiceover business consultant known as the Voice Over Strategist, and is currently producing the comic book “Agent 1.22”.