A cappella group Tuckermans at 9 returns to Hackmatack Playhouse, 538 School Street, (Route 9) Berwick, Maine, on Saturday, June 20. The group performs many long-time audience favorites as well as recently added tunes. Tuckermans at 9's original, high-octane arrangement of The Temptations' classic Motown anthem, "I Can't Get Next to You", received praise from judges at the recent 2009 Harmony Sweeps a cappella competition at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
Based in the Seacoast, the seven-voice vocal band, dubbed "T9" by fans, has entertained audiences of all ages from Boston and Massachusetts' South Shore to Lewiston, Maine, and in New Hampshire from Portsmouth to Nashua and into the Lakes Region. "We call ourselves a band," says founder and baritone Mark Miller, "because our voices make all the music. No instruments or pre-recorded instrumental tracks are ever used. Everything you hear, from the vocals to what sounds maybe a bit like electric guitars or trumpets, is just us. Even the drums - a technique called vocal percussion - come from our throats and lips. If you've heard groups such as Rockapella, Ball in the House, or Toxic Audio, that's the style - and it's a real blast!"Tuckermans at 9 performs well-known pop, rock, blues, and light jazz favorites from as far back as the 1920s, but mostly music of the 1960s to today. "Audiences of all ages enjoy our shows because there's literally something familiar there for everyone," explains Miller. "But because we choose songs that are just plain good, well-written songs, people really get into things they might not necessarily know, at least at first. We also have a lot of fun on stage, and it's contagious for the audience! It's really a show, not just a concert."Photo: Tuckermans at 9 (Daryl Robertson, Walt Porter, Ashley Gove, Bill Hersman, Kam Raiselis, Francis Lipe, and Mark Miller).
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