Arrrgh! Pirates Cove

So we are in the full-swing of summer now and although we are having a wonderful time singing, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing from my life. Then I figured it out.

Mini golf.

There are certain things that you must have and do to truly be able to stake a claim of getting the full Cape Cod experience. The beaches, the chowdah, the ice cream, and the mini golf. And when it comes to mini golf, there is only one place that I can go and really live it up: Pirates Cove. I've been going there since I was 8, and I still act like I'm 8 when I go now.

Brian, Seth, Dave, and I hopped in the car during the afternoon to get a quick 18 in. We played the front course and the competition was stiff...well, between Dave and I. Seth and Brian are what the French would call "Le HORRIBLE". When all was said and done, the final scores looked like this:

Rob: 37 (-3)
Dave: 39 (-1)
Seth: 46 (+6)
Brian: 48 (+8)

I conducted this interview with Brian following the meltdown:


And finally, a picture of the losers of the day:



So can anyone out there beat my score? Bring it.

YouSound?

Thanks to everyone who came out for the July 4th EXTRAVAGANZA! Much fun to be had by all. I will post a full re-cap later today. I just wanted to take a quick second and announce a new idea I had. Since many people take pictures at our shows, I was thinking: Let's get some of those great fan pictures up on the site! I'm going to be launching a new fan picture section, so if you have any pictures of us singing or you rocking cool homemade t-shirts or anything like that, send your best to robbie@hyannissound.com and I'll get them going on the site. Looking forward to seeing what this becomes!

Back to folding laundry...boooooooo!

EXTRAVAGANZA!

So I have to appologize for the lack of posting lately. We have been working non-stop on our July 4th EXTRAVAGANZA music. This Friday at the Federated Church in Hyannis, we're doing a show that is going to be something special. Allow me to further explain.

Two years ago, Doug Fraser decided on the spot as he was talking during a show that we were going to do a July 4th EXTRAVAGANZA in Chatham. We had not even once mentioned it as a group. BUT, with a little perseverance, we learned a few patriotic tunes and thus, the EXTRAVAGANZA was born.

Last year, in 2007, we decided to continue the tradition on July 3rd. This time, we had much more prep and rolled out some great tunes, including a vocal rendition of Stars and Stripes forever. I can honestly say that this was one of the top three performances I've ever been a part of.

Which brings us to this summer. We will be performing all the favorites from the last two years plus some really neat barbershop quartets of patriotic songs. We promise fireworks, America, and more red, white, and blue than any one person should ever wear. The good news is that there are NO fireworks that night in Hyannis, so parking and attending should be a breeze! Hope to see you out there!

Why Don't You Just Play Through?

So about once or twice a summer, something strange happens: we get a day off. This means that not only do we not have a show, but we also don't have practice. Yesterday was one of those days.

Deciding what to do on those days is pretty difficult. Do I do laundry since I'm completely out of clean clothes? Do I mail my rent check because I forgot to do it when it was due last week? Of course not, that's just not fun. Two expeditions took place yesterday in the Hyannis Sound camp. One was a trip to Nantucket (I did not go, so I'll have Nate Tao post on that later) and the other was a day of golf.

Andy, Dave, and I headed over to Sandwich Hollows golf club for a day of hitting the links. We had a 1:00 tee time but it was pretty packed, so we teed off at about 1:30. This was actually a good thing, because I needed all the putting practice I could get. You see, for some reason I rip it up at mini golf (after all, Pirate's Cove IS the best course in the world!) but I can't get real putting down. After some practice putting we were off and away. The whole round took us 5 hours to complete. I'd like to say that the volume of golfers was the sole reason that it took so long, but I think the 20+ balls we put in the woods was a big part of it. Also, if you were driving along Route 6 at 2:45 pm yesterday and something small and yellow hit the hood of your car, I'd like to appologize.



We were terrible, but boy did we look like we are good.

I also have included this video clip of my 18th tee shot. If you listen closely, Andy asks me "How does it look, Robbie?", and after I see it hit some lumber, I reply "Terrible."



Despite just barely missing the cut-off for the US Open yesterday, we had a terrific (and for some passerbys, terrifying) time!

Silence is Golden

So today I worked out with Andy, Phil, and Patrick at the gym. I was definitely the one thing who did not belong, Sesame Street style.

After that, we got home and I decided it was time for a power nap. One hour...just enough time.

My plans were crushed.

All within a 5-minute time frame, the following things happened:
1. Seth came in the room to talk on his phone because Brian was singing the theme to The Neverending Story at the top of his lungs in the livingroom.
2. An 8 year old kid was dragging an aluminum can down the street with a string. Why? Because I was taking a nap, obviously.
3. Seth got off the phone and joined Brian in screaming lines from The Neverending Story right outside my door.

I am awake now.

Here We Go!

So Week 1 is underway! We have performed in Falmouth, Chatham, Brewster, and Hyannis. Here are the higlights:

• Alfredo ripping up our new opener, "Saturday Night is Alright for Fighting" to start our sets
  
• All the new guys getting see what our weekly shows are all about
  
• Patrick trying clam chowder for the first time (!) and liking it
  
• Forgeting to put my only pair of jeans in the dryer and buying a pair at the mall right before the Friday show
  
• Playing ultimate frisbee with all ten guys
  
• Seeing all our friends again at the shows for the first time this summer
  

We are officially up-and-running for the summer. You can expect many more blog posts and pictures documenting our 15th summer on Cape Cod!

When Two Worlds Collide

So today was a very special day for me! Hyannis Sound were "artists-in-residence" at the Freetown-Lakeville schools where I am finishing up my first year as a high school social studies teacher.

It started with some performances for the students at Freetown-Lakeville Middle School. We sang for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. It was so much fun! We taught everyone how to do some vocal percussion which brought more spitting than should ever happen in one room :-)

After leaving the middle school, we headed over to Apponequet for a workshop with Har-Men-Ized, which is the men's select choir. They are so talented! I have been fortunate to work with and listen to them during the year, but the other guys in Hyannis Sound were very impressed with just this one-hour session.

After a delicious cookout with the LeTourneaus, Meleedys, and other friends, we headed back to the school for the evening concert to benefit the school's music program. I got to show the guys my classroom which was really fun. Then that night we sang a set with the select choirs opening for us. We even got to sing Cecilia with the men's group! It was really special to me to be able to share the two things I'm most excited and happy about in my life: teaching and singing with Hyannis Sound. This will surely be a day to look back on for a while.

PS- If you're in the Lakeville area, we are airing the concert often on the local access channel!

Settling In

Orientation weekend has come and gone. Many faces (old and new), stories, and pictures came and went with it. It was a great first weekend for the group.

It started when I arrived on Friday afternoon (it's all about Robbie Powers, you know that!) And everyone except Patrick was at the house. We had a light rehearsal then headed out to see Indiana Jones. It was so good to be with the fellas and relaxing once again.

The next day we had a few visitors including Matty Labak, Paul Toms, and Townsend. We spent the day rehearsing and getting settled in some more. Sunday was the day that the majority of the alumns came on down. We were joined by Wrobel, Arjun, Joey, Tim, Nate, Fozz, Vic, and (Insert the last name or two I'm forgetting). It was a good time. The old guys helped us newer guys get familiar once again with what it means to be in Hyannis Sound and perform like we do. That evening was filled with Sam Diego's and many stories. We seemed to have embarrassed a girl who was celebrating her birthday at the restaurant. We were asked to sing Happy Birthday to her by her boyfriend. Nothing says limelight more than 20 dudes singing Happy Birthday to you in the middle of a busy restaurant.

On Monday, the current members spent the day rehearsing and grilling. You better believe I was back in my spot right in front of that fire-y iron beast in the backyard. Still got it, I'm told. We had our meeting where we pick our new songs for this summer and I can't begin to tell you how amazing they are. I'll leak clues daily over on my twitter updates to the left of these entries.

SO, we are officially up and running. Sturgis Charter was a good time today and we're off to the Child Safety Conference at Western New England College. Giddyup!

And So It Begins...

You know, everyone keeps saying that Indiana Jones is the big blockbuster of the summer. I personally disagree. Let us not forget about the REAL adventure that is about the begin...

Hyannis Sound
and the
Legend of Cape Cod!

That's right, we have arrived on Cape Cod for our 14th summer! Everyone is here except for Patrick, who apparently claims that graduating from college is important, so he has to attend his own graduation ceremony. As legend says: once Patrick arrives the stars will align, Cape Cod will reunite with the mainland, and gas prices will fall to $2.00 per gallon!

Ok, so we may or may not have went to go see Indiana Jones last night and its all I'm thinking about. Can you blame me? What else would cause a 5-year-old kid to want to be an archaeologist?

Although there's no mythical power behind the unification of the Hyannis Sound members, there is still no shortage of adventure. The new guys (Nate, Seth, Fredo, and Patrick) are sure to bring an incredible energy and fresh new perspective to the group. And us "old guys" are excited to be back once again and sharing some great music with everyone. We've already started learning songs in our short 24 hours together and I know there will be plenty more to blog about as the weekend and the summer go on.

So for now, I go to rehearsal so that we can bring an adventure to our setlist that is way cooler than finding the Ark of the Covenant, Holy Grail, and Crystal Skull combined! Yikes, talk about great expectations.

And don't forget: Your name is Henry. We named the dog "Indiana"