Mamajamas new CD hits shelves

Author: Tom McCann

A routine a capella practice was rudely interrupted when a flaming ping-pong ball was thrown to the ground in a blind panic. Rolling across the carpet, it set fire to a nearby couch, and once the blaze had been extinguished, the Mamajamas had found the name of their latest CD - Burning Couches.

Almost 15 months ago, the members of the Mamajamas, a co-ed a capella group on campus, headed north to a small recording studio in Montreal, owned by a man called Martin in his house full of cats, to record a CD for the first time in several years. Current musical director and soloist in "Man on the Moon" and co-soloist with Josh Transue in "No Diggity," Ryan Reese '06 commented, "I think going to a small recording studio was a pretty intense decision and I feel that ultimately it was a good one. The CD isn't a really clean cut, classy production that has been edited and perfected in a high-tech studio. It's more personal to our group and to our close fans. It actually shows us and how we are as a group." This is clearly illustrated in a "Bonus Track" in which the chatter and dialogue between the members can be heard, adding a very personal touch to the production.

While every member will speak to the fun that everyone had over the weekend, sophomore Sally Swallow '07, who is featured as the soloist in "You Sexy Thing," also told of the rigor that went into producing the finished album."We literally sang the whole time, and then we sang more the next day. It was a lot of fun, but by the end of the three days we were vocally tired," she said. She also agreed with Reese in his analysis of the group's representation in the CD, stating, "I think it reflects the fun we were having. It definitely reflects our excitement and how thrilled we were to put the whole thing together." Reese also noted that the weekend was full of "good memories, and I feel like they're contained in the album for me and for the rest of the group too."

Swallow highlighted one of the defining characteristics of the CD when she noted, "We have everything from '80s to rap. There's a wide variety, but it's also something we can all relate to and hopefully something that our audience will want to listen to." Certainly the CD encapsulates a wide spectrum of the Mamajama repertoire, from the more well known songs such as "Sunday Morning," sung by Cassidy Freeman '04.5 and "Down Under," by Ben Fainstein '04, to some lesser-known tracks like "Uncle John's Band," sung as a group. While it was inevitable that every member of the group could not have their own solo. Swallow said, "We wanted to make sure that everyone was on the CD or that everyone was happy with what they had contributed to it. Everyone either sings a song or is featured in some part."

One only needs to watch the Mamajamas in action for two minutes in order to get a sense for the closeness of the group. Reese commented, "We're a close-knit group and when we accept a new member into the group it's not just accepting someone you're going to sing with, but someone that you're going to share a lot of time with. The relationships within the group mean a lot to people and we spend a lot of time just being us and focusing on the people in the group, not just on the music. That's the part of the group that I've come to enjoy."

Susanna Preziosi '05, who along with Teal Tigner '05, missed the recording as a result of studying abroad, added her thoughts on what makes the group so special. "We recognize what makes a co-ed group so special," she said. "It's a family and we're all so close with the guys and girls in it. We go to other extracurricular activities that people are in, eat meals together and rehearsals bring people together too. It's a mixture of music and friendships because we have talented singers, but we try to find the fun in everything."

Having finally released their long-awaited compilation, the Mamajamas are already looking to the future. Reese commented, "We're getting to the point where we have enough songs for a new CD, so that might be something for next year." Swallow is also looking ahead, saying, "We're working hard to reach another destination, either a CD or something else that can work as a landmark for us." Ultimately though, she says that the group is "still working towards the best sound possible," and that remains the long-term goal under the guidance of Reese.

As it is, "Burning Couches" has finally hit the shelves, and the Mamajamas and their fans finally have a physical representation of the music that they have been sharing for years. No one can deny that it has been a long time in the making, but equally, no one can deny that it has been worth the wait. Sing on.