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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
 
Q: When can I get my copy?
A: Now! Go here and buy your copy. It will ship tomorrow!
 
Q: Is there a "Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella" MySpace page?
A: Yes! Spread the word! Add us as your friend at: www.MySpace.com/darksidevoices
 
Q: I see that Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella has been nominated for a CARA. What is that?
A: Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella has been nominated as Best Pop/Rock Album in the 2006 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARA). The CARAs are like the Grammys of A Cappella and are organized by CASA, the Contemporary A Cappella Society. They choose the best a cappella recordings released each year. There's a lot of great albums to choose from, so we're very excited to even be nominated for the award.
 
Q: Who is singing each of the solos on the album?
A: Michael Mahler on Breathe, Jon Krivitzky on Time, Stephanie Lewin on Great Gig In The Sky, Freddie Feldman on Money, Chris Feucht on Us and Them, Alan Schmuckler on Brain Damage, and Dan Riley on Eclipse.
 
Q: Are those drums REALLY all vocal?
A: YES. There are no drums or percussive sounds on this record that are not vocal. All drums sounds (and special effects like clock ticks and heartbeats) were performed by Freddie Feldman. Freddie has been mouthdrumming for ten years. He started in his college a cappella group Five O'Clock Shadow, at Northwestern University. Freddie then went on to drum for the Acafellas and Absolute Harmony (both pro groups from Chicago). He has jammed with such great vocal percussionists and beatboxers as: Wes Carroll (of the House Jacks), Marty Gasper (of Blue Jupiter), Adam Matta, Jo Jo Beats, and Maurice Harris (of 4th Avenue). He is the inventor of the only throat microphone designed for vocal percussion/beatbox, called The Thumper. Believe it or not, the vocal percussion on the Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella CD is not as processed as you might think. Just a little compression, EQ, and reverb.
 
Q: Will the group be performing anytime soon?
A: The group of singers was put together specifically for this project. There are no plans to perform live, only to put this version of Dark Side together. The group did do one live performance of the entire album, during the Summer of 2004.
 
Q: I hear that the Dark Side Of The Moon A Cappella album is "Wizard of Oz Compatible." What does that mean?
A: When the album is played simultaneously with the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, some correspondences between the music and film occur. This synchronicity is called Dark Side of the Rainbow. We kept the tempos and track lengths of the a cappella version as close to the original album as possible to retain this synchronicity with the film. Check out the Dark Side of Oz.
 
Q: There are a lot of spoken parts on the album. Who's doing the speaking?
A: We won't tell you who spoke what and where...but the following people have spoken parts on the album: Jill Feldman, Tzvia Krivitzky, Jonathan Minkoff, Diana Preisler, Marty Gasper, Bill Hare, Deke Sharon, and Mike Mendyke.
 
Q: I think the intro to "Money" sounds kind of funny. Why did you do that?
A: Well, think about it. The original album has "cash register" and "change" sounds in the intro of "Money." These sounds are very difficult to mimic with the voice (and not sound completely ridiculous). But, if you're going to perform the entire album, you can't skip a part just because it's difficult to do. So we sat down and thought about what sounds could we put in there that really represented the genre in which we're working (a cappella). We decided that warmup and voice-clearing sounds would fit and be a nice way to put our little stamp on the song.
 
Q: The album was recorded in "High Definition"? What does that mean?
A: The technical explanation: this album was recorded in 24-bits at 96khz sampling rate (using the higest quality Apogee A/D converters). Unfortunately, Compact Discs can only be recorded at 16-bits at 44.1khz sampling rate, so the High Definition audio has been down-converted for CDs. We plan on releasing a Hi Definition DVD mixed in 5.1 surround in the near future.
 
Q: Who is Doug Sax and how is he involved with the album?
A: Doug Sax is the founder of The Mastering Lab in Los Angeles, CA. He is a Grammy-winning Mastering Engineer, who mastered the 30th Anniversary release of the original Dark Side of the Moon (the one with the blue cover done in stained glass). He also happens to have mastered The Wall, Division Bell, and pretty much every Pink Floyd album (plus hundreds of other albums by The Who, Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Tim McGraw, Good Charlotte, etc). Doug is the Mastering Engineer for the Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella CD, and one heck of a nice guy. He was chosen because he has a wonderful understanding of the music and really brings a sense of definition and clarity to the final version of this recording.
 
Q: Did any of the singers sing in collegiate a cappella groups?
A: Freddie Feldman sang with Five O'Clock Shadow at Northwestern University. Jon Krivitzky sang with Mosaic Whispers at Washington University. Mike Mahler sang with Purple Haze at Northwestern University. Alan Schmuckler sang with Aural Fixation at Northwestern University.
 
Q: Did you have to get permission to record a different version of Dark Side of the Moon?
A: We didn't have to ask for permission, but we did have to pay licensing fees to the original songwriters (various members of Pink Floyd). All of these fees have been paid and our license is on file with the Harry Fox Agency.
 
Q: What is "Dork Side of the Moon"?
A: When you're going through the process of recording an album, you amass quite a few bloopers and mistakes along the way. We've compiled an outtake/gag reel called "Dork Side of the Moon." We're toying with the idea of posting an MP3 of the Dork Side to the website...keep checking back. Pretty funny stuff.
 
Q: Any talk of another album?
A: Not really, right now. There are few albums out there that could compare to Dark Side of the Moon.