Boston group changing face of vocal music

DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Shadow will be in town Thursday – five o’clock shadow, that is, to rock the Foxcroft Academy gymnasium with its unique blend of music.

The all-vocal modern rock band from Boston, the Pied Piper of underground talent that’s changing the face of contemporary vocal music, will perform its own compositions, as well as cover tunes of rock groups such as Led Zeppelin and Tonic at the March 20 concert, which starts at 7 p.m.

Five o’clock shadow, which tours worldwide and has shared the stage with Aaron Neville and the Boston Pops, Patti LaBelle, Blessid Union of Souls, and Sister Hazel, attracts thousands of fans and curious concertgoers every year. The curiosity is how five band members – Dan Lennon, Mike Barnicle, Oren Malka, Paul Pampinella and David “Stack” Stackhouse – can use their mouths for both song and musical accompaniment.

“Initially the fans may come for the novelty, but they end up staying for the music,” Malka, a tenor and group spokesman, said Monday during a telephone interview.

Malka said the audience will clearly think it is hearing electric guitars, keyboards, electric bass and drums, but in actuality, the sounds will come from the mouths of the singers. Stackhouse, for instance, simultaneously performs vocal bass and drums with his mouth.

“We are truly a rock band that doesn’t use instruments,” he said.

Five o’clock shadow, also known as FOCS, actually got its start in the early 90s, according to Malka. A group of professional men, including a rocket scientist and a doctor, got together to sing doo-wop and barbershop as a hobby. The group evolved as some original members left and others joined, ultimately ending up four years ago with the present band.

“Something just feels right about it,” Malka said, of the present composition. “It’s become a band of brothers.”

Malka said the men recognized early on that in addition to having fun during jam sessions, they could create different sounds using their mouths.

The group has toured throughout the United States and Japan. A tour in China is planned for this winter, Malka said, and the group is working on its fourth CD release.

Graduates of prominent music schools including Boston’s Berklee College of Music, five o’clock shadow’s members are also strong advocates for music education. Assisted by a committee of educators, FOCS developed its own educational program called the “Vocal Challenge.”

That program will be offered to Foxcroft Academy students Thursday. Students will learn how five o’clock shadow does physical and vocal warm-ups to prevent injury and maximize performance. They will also see how the group blends pitch, tempo and vowel shaping, and uses those effects to create their unique sounds. The students also will be treated with a “teaser concert,” according to Malka.

The day will culminate with the public concert. “Come and see what your ears won’t believe,” Malka said.

Admission to the concert is $10.