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The Accidentals

About Me

A unique mixed-voice octet, The Accidentals have received several awards for Best Vocal Group, including three MAC AWARDS (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) and the BACK STAGE BISTRO AWARD. They were the 1995 National Finals Champions of the HARMONY SWEEPSTAKES A CAPPELLA FESTIVAL, winning three out of four prizes: First Prize, Audience Favorite, and Best Song. Their CDs have won two CARAS (Contemporary a Cappella Recording Awards).With material ranging from the haunting "You Win" ('95 Sweeps Best Song), to an outrageous take on "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" ("Rudiana"), and a much-praised comic tribute to Hollywood's worst movie director, Ed Wood, Jr., the group has sophisticated arrangements with lush harmonies and an offbeat sense of humor. Their eclectic repertoire includes pop originals, pop/jazz standards, classical (traditional and modern), novelty music and film scores. The professional backgrounds of the group members include the recording industry (Bette Midler, Neil Sedaka, Leonard Cohen, Jennifer Lopez, Diana Ross, Barry Manilow, Celine Dion, David Johansen, Nell Carter, Taylor Dane), Broadway (The Drowsy Chaperone, Hair, Shenandoah, Jesus Christ Superstar, Nite Club Confidential), commercials, industrials, arranging, songwriting (covers by Karen Carpenter, Barry Manilow, Tom Jones, The Dells), and concerts (Bette Midler, Michael Feinstein, Donald Fagen, Leonard Cohen, Eddie Arnold, Petula Clark, Boz Scaggs, Willie Nelson, Neil Sedaka). They were the soloists and the backbone of the choir for the Bottom Line's Downtown Messiah each December, performed composer Kevin Hayes' live film scores for the 1920's silent film classics Metropolis and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and were the outrageous lyric-altering choir on the Comedy Central holiday special, "Denis Leary's Merry F#$%in' Christmas". They are also a welcome yearly fixture singing holiday music at the World Financial Center's beautiful Winter Garden in New York City.For more on The Accidentals and individual members’ bios and more song clips, please go to their website, www.theaccidentals.com.I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 05/03/2007
Band Website: www.theaccidentals.com
Band Members: Margaret Dorn, Emily Bindiger, Dennis Deal, Bill Mitchell, Marcia Pelletiere, Rosie Vallese, Jim Vincent, Matt Perri
Influences: Please turn off the sound on the Music player to hear this video. This is from our recent appearance with Jamie De Roy and Friends at the Metropolitan Room in NYC, celebrating Oscar-winning songs. This is our version of "White Christmas/It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp". It has some nasty language, sorry!!!
Sounds Like: From Cabaret Scenes magazine:The Reprise Room, December 17, 2007 New York, NY There is something special about the human voice that a musical instrument can try to emulate or even manage to enhance, but never duplicate. The Accidentals are an eight-voice a cappella group that filled Dillon’s Reprise Room with sounds of Christmas music, both secular and sacred. The lack of instrumental accompaniment was amply swept out of mind by the ingenuity of the arrangements that orchestrated the eight voices into an effervescent symphony of sound. They were more than a great choir however. The singers were alive— animated, responsive to one another, and smartly aware of the value of their body language for communicating the sense of the song.The voice-only stricture was broken to invite songwriter David Friedman to the piano to play and sing (not badly, either) his raucously funny “My Simple Christmas Wish” and his “Truth About Christmas.” More to the serious side was his moving paean “We Can Be Kind.”The Accidentals did a bang-up job. “O Tannenbaum” in both German and English, and “Seasons of Love” from the musical, Rent (“525,6000 minutes—how can you measure the life of a woman or man?”) were choice. They encored with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” using the arrangement The Accidentals leader, Margaret Dorn, prepared for Petula Clark, then closed the show with a reverent “Silent Night.” ‘Tis a shame that Christmas comes but once a year.Peter Leavy Cabaret Scenes December 17, 2007 www.cabaretscenes.org "If you think a cappella choristers are inherently square, think again. This group's irreverent sense of humor inspired Denis Leary to feature them in his Merry F$%n' Christmas Special on Comedy Central." NYmag.com
Record Label: SharpFlat Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Concert on March 17th

March 17th, 2009!!!! Two amazing award-winnning vocal groups      ...One incredible night of music!The Accidentals    (proudly introducing the newest Accidental, CATHERINE RUSSELL)        present...  ...
Posted by on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Website is working! And a new show is coming up!

Hey, all, I never took down the blog posting that said the website is down. It is UP!AND, on March 17th, we will be doing an all a cappella show with the German group, VocAldente, at The Triad in NYC....
Posted by on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:07:00 GMT

The Accidentals’ Caroling Schedule

Where has the year gone? Wow, 'tis the season, again! The Accidentals are once again giving their FREE HOLIDAY CONCERTS at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center, Downtown Manhattan:Frida...
Posted by on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:15:00 GMT

New YouTube Video

So, while Emily was recovering from her vocal cord hemorrhage in January, her co-Accidental, Margaret Dorn, told her that there would be a gig in February with the cabaret ent...
Posted by on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:40:00 GMT

Our very own Margaret Dorn

Margaret Dorn, fearless and saintly leader of The Accidentals, is going to be one of the judges of the NY Regionals of The Harmony Sweepstakes on March 22nd! This is the competition The Accidentals sw...
Posted by on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Our new CD has just been released!

Our latest Christmas CD, "I'm Not Going Home For Christmas" came out today and is available at our performances and at our website, www.theaccidentals.com. Makes an amazingly fabulous holiday gift!
Posted by on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:15:00 GMT

"It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!"

Well, maybe... Already feeling stressed? Can't wrap your head around the fast-approaching holiday season? Well, let THE ACCIDENTALS put you in the mood! We have a crazy schedule  ...
Posted by on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:38:00 GMT

New CD, just in time for the holidays!

PHEW!!!! Artwork done, CD mastered, we'll have it in our hands SOON. Which means that you can, too! Our new holiday CD, called "Not Going Home For Christmas", will be out in a matter of week...
Posted by on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:53:00 GMT

Were thrilled to be a part of Mark Bermans "The Genesis Project"

Category: Music On Tuesday, October 30, Mark Berman will launch his long awaited CD, The Genesis Project, at the legendary jazz showcase, Birdland in New York City. The event will feature a live pe...
Posted by on Sun, 16 Sep 2007 08:37:00 GMT