During its brief semi-professional existence, the BREAKERS VOCAL BAND performed two major tours, with additional appearances at one regional music festival, and numerous private commissioned concerts; the group also released one self-produced studio-recorded album, prior to amicably disbanding in 2009.
2 0 0 7 ~ " V " ( " f i v e " ) ( E P )
PURCHASE "V" AT SHOP.BLUEDORIAN.COM
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On December 14th 2007, the Breakers Vocal Band released a five-song EP, titled "V" ("five"), a self-produced work whose production tone and put-together would draw from experimental rock albums of the sixties and seventies, in particular the dueling duo of The Beatles "Revolver" and The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds." Promotional materials cited the record as "paying tribute to great songs past and present, laced with the inimitable spontaneity and spark for which this group has become renowned. For the a cappella novice, "V" is a delectable first morsel. For the aficionado: a must have!"
Track Listing:
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"V" EP - Back cover and jewel-case siding (click to enlarge).
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"V" EP - Inlay (click to enlarge).
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2 0 0 6 ~ S y r a c u s e J a z z F e s t i v a l
In August 2006, the Breakers Vocal Band performed at "Jazz In The Square" in Syracuse, NY. Heavy rains just before, and at points during, the performance did little to dampen the irrepressible spirit of five sing-happy men, all of whom had remembered to bring their good jeans specially for the occasion. Speaking of which, on this occasion, Steve Engelbrecht was the most handsome, for his efforts to secure the gig for the band. Barbecue and IPA followed the performance, in all likelihood. (Images courtesy GDP.)
Set List:
- Let's Groove (Earth, Wind, and Fire) (feat. Engelbrecht, Pratt, Goldin)
- Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers) (feat. Farouk)
- St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy vers. Peter Cincotti) (feat. Engelbrecht) ("Meet the band")
- Fire and Rain (James Taylor vers. BVB) (feat. Wildeman)
- Billie Jean (Michael Jackson vers. BVB) (feat. Goldin)
- Slide (The Housejacks) (feat. Pratt, Engelbrecht, Goldin)
- Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper vers. Eva Cassidy) (feat. Goldin)
- We Can Work It Out (The Beatles vers. Stevie Wonder) (feat. Pratt)
- Danny Boy (trad. vers BVB) (feat. Engelbrecht) ("Encore")
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2 0 0 6 ~ B V B i n C a d a q u e s , S p a i n
Invited to perform at a private destination wedding in early Summer 2006, the Breakers Vocal Band traveled en masse to Catalonia, Spain, to Cadaqués, a seaside town on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea's Costa Brava. Performances were mostly limited to the event itself, however, some were organized so as to take place in open spaces, for the general public, in addition to the guests, to enjoy. Chris Wildeman wins the "most handsome" award for organizing the trip, and for renting the actual "World's Smallest Car 2006" to transport five adult passengers across the GI-614 mountain pass, for which we have definitely forgiven him. (Images courtesy GDP.)
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2 0 0 6 ~ N o k i a N 9 1 P r o d u c t L a u n c h , M a l a y s i a
In April 2006, the Breakers Vocal Band was commissioned by Nokia to assist in the release of the N91 smartphone in Malaysia. The group returned to Kuala Lumpur (see below, Equinox Tour 2005) for a series of concerts, punctuated by various promotional appearances for the local press covering the release. Despite the occasional feeling of being a troop of singing haircuts, BVB was thrilled for the opportunity to return to Malaysia and spread the infectious joy of a cappella once more. Andy Goldin easily outshone as most handsome, for his untiring work in the role of Chief Hugger. (Images courtesy RC.)
Main Event Set List:
Act One
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2 0 0 5 ~ E q u i n o x T o u r, K u a l a L u m p u r , M a l a y s i a
The Breakers Vocal Band performed the "Equinox" Tour in Kuala Lumpur in 2005 to general acclaim. The repertoire focused on popular cover songs, although two Adam Farouk compositions—Under Your Spell, and Passing Moments—were featured as part of the tour’s main event set list. The concerts incorporated extensive choreography, and inventively-employed theatrical lighting, as opposed to the typical “rock” concert lighting, to set the mood of the performance. With the greatest production team in Malaysia—Roz “RC” Cheah, Adeline Tan, and Pat Gui, with Lennard Gui (no relation), as well as partnerships with Astro, CIMB, and Shangri-La hotels, and peripheral, in-kind sponsorship by Malaysia Airlines, Raul Shirts, and Communiqué, as well as generous private donations, Equinox ebulliently succeeded in its artistic mission, creating “a powerful synergy between performer and spectator” in order to bring forth an interactive, spontaneous, and, above all, satisfying musical experience. Adam literally nearly died putting this tour together, so, idk, maybe most handsome? (images courtesy RC, EG.)
Concert Set List, April 16th 2005:
Act One
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2 0 0 5 ~ B V B O p e n H o u s e : D e b u t P e r f o r m a n c e
In April 2005, the Breakers Vocal Band hosted an open house in Chestnut Hill, MA, performing together for the first time. Friends and family who attended were treated to a short set, spirited and unadorned—a hark-back to the kind of a cappella that had brought these five singers together in the first place. Awards for both “Most Prepossessing” as well as “Miss Congeniality” went (and continue to go) to current BlueDorian COO Elizabeth Geuss, Psy.D., who bravely offered the use of her apartment for the event, shortly following which the company departed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to embark on its Equinox Tour (see above). (images courtesy EG.)
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2 0 0 4 ~ B V B E q u i n o x P r o m o V i d e o S h o o t , N Y C
What are five guys from New York doing in KL? Bringing the heart and soul of a cappella to YOU...
In late fall 2004, the Breakers Vocal Band headed to New York City to shoot footage for a promotional TV spot sponsored by Malaysia’s “Astro” direct broadcast satellite service. Little of the original narrative—a brief story sequence, inspired by the classic film “The Sting,” of a gathering of colleagues to embark on a secret mission—made it into the promo’s final cut, which was required to be no longer than thirty seconds. Instead, what resulted was a wonderful, half-minute fusing of music and visuals that set the stage for the joyous celebration of sound, song, and the human voice that Equinox would prove to be. Handsomeness awards go to William C. Doll of Syneidesis, for devising the story and directing the shoot, and Ken Kam of Astro, for finding a way to make it suit the paradigm required of it. Thanks to both of their efforts, five heavily jet-lagged men were given an unexpected, and much-appreciated gift, in addition to a much-needed second wind, at one-thirty in the morning, when the ad first aired on TV. (Images courtesy EG.)
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2 0 0 4 ~ B V B G e n e s i s : N Y C
The very first meeting of the renamed and rebranded Breakers Vocal Band took place in October 2004, on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Having immediately accepted, with great anticipation, Adam's fallacious invitation to a "surf tour" of Malaysia, the group of five instead found itself reading through scores of music having been presented with a collection of demos outlining the repertoire for a proposed concert series, to take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (at least that part was accurate). A weekend of rehearsing later and the wheels were firmly set in motion for a wild ride the likes of which the world wouldn't have seen since that one time a common english toad took control of a Model T and somehow ended up in Anaheim, CA. Thanks to our supporters, for all the fun and good. And of course, what would BVB's first meeting be without the first "most handsome" award EVER, which went to Greg Pratt, for showing us his sensitive side, in a surprise fit of spontaneous crying, no, weeping. (Images courtesy EG.)
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a t a g l a n c eThe Breakers Vocal Band (or "BVB") was a five-piece vocal group formed in New York City in 2004. Established by Malaysian creative artist Adam Farouk, BVB gained notoriety in Malaysia's cultural capital of Kuala Lumpur in the wake of its debut tour there, in 2005. During its brief semi-professional existence, the group performed two major tours, numerous private commissioned concerts, and released one self-produced studio-recorded album.
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