Happy Holidays from Angela and DaBoyz

It seems unbelievable… that we are starting to wind down 2021;it was a year that went by quickly.. and sometimes ..really seemed to DRAAAG along.

When I think about this past year I feel so grateful for friends and family and music family .. so lucky to have so many spectacularly smart and talented people in my life.. and team outragepus8 would like to send thanks for the support of our friends and family and music lovers.

Looking back, I feel so sad about the loss of my dear friend Mary Ianicchieirri.. who passed withCOVID.. earlier this year. Mary, really loved music.. she would dance in the back of the room.. while we played .. She’d bring her grandkids to the shows, and they were in LOVE with seeing the instruments .. and the players.. . She used to hang out with Jackson Brown and Bonnie Raitt up in Nor Cal…she confided in me:)

Mary and I worked in Props together, and the DAY..that Mary found out about Daboyz and I putting together the Outrageoous8 ? Mary just showed up , unasked, with homemade hot pot of chili at rehearsals.. and sold t shirts at our block parties.. when we were still masked and safe distancing.. and doing music.

We all share in these losses.. on some level.. it just hurts still. Little by little , we seem to be healing.

As this year has gone on …The Outrageous8 have been steadily working on our new record .. it’s entitled “LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL”

in keeping with our universal feeling of recovering from the loss and the grieving ..and tragedies of these past few years.

As The Holidays approach … Here’s hoping we treat each other a little better, and are a little more patient with each other..as we all share these losses and the joy.

Xxoo

Angela

Sorority House Massacre, Angela O'Neill 35th anniversary!

“Sorority House Massacre” (1986) starring Angela O'Neill, Wendy Martel Vilkin, Nicole Rio & Pamela Ross.

It’s the 35th anniversary of Sorority House Massacre!

Some of you may not know that before her career as a prop master and running her own band, Angela O’Neill was also an actress and starred in the famous horror movie Sorority House Massacre from 1986.

To celebrate halloween 2021, we are pleased to present some clips from the movie and an interview with Angela by Python’s Paradise.

Enjoy the scary walk down memory lane as we re-live some of those ‘horror’ moments!

What Playing Music Taught Me About Audio

When someone on Facebook recently commented, “Compressed audio sounds horrific, and even uncompressed 16/44.1 isn’t great,” I felt terrible. I knew he came to these conclusions not through any sort of careful, unbiased testing, but because the audio industry—manufacturers, press, dealers—has told him he shouldn’t like compressed audio, and that 16-bit/44.1kHz audio is, after decades of enthusiastic acceptance by billions of users, now unacceptable.

The audio industry has convinced this poor guy that he shouldn’t enjoy music unless it’s on whatever formats have recently won the favor of audio writers, and reproduced with the maximum resolution offered by streaming services or the newest DACs.

Meanwhile, billions of people are getting great joy from music using all sorts of technologies: compressed digital streams, radio broadcasts, smartphones, computers, cheap earphones, tiny speakers built into laptops, etc. Without a moment’s reflection, they know music works—its ability to convey the artist’s emotion, creativity, and intellect is independent of the reproduction chain.

Those who’ve read my columns for a while may have noticed I’ve become less tolerant of the notion that using certain technologies, spending a fortune on gear, or seeking out in-vogue audio brands is somehow “critical” to music reproduction. Blame the double bass.

I’ve played music for 40-plus years, but got serious about it only a few years ago, when I started playing double bass—the first instrument I truly fell in love with, and one that’s pretty easy to get work on. Since then, I’ve played perhaps 150 jazz gigs and just released my first real album: Take2, a batch of mostly original tunes I put together with saxophonist Ron Cyger. Through my efforts, I’ve come to a new understanding about what’s really important in music—and which parts of the audiophile ecosystem have nothing whatsoever to do with music.

Listen to musicians talking, and you’ll hear discussions about melody, harmony, and rhythm—not about inner detail, microdynamics, texture, or any of the other things stressed on audio forums and touted in audio product advertising. Whether such jargon describes real phenomena or exists merely to glamorize and mystify what should be a simple and rewarding activity, the fact is that at all my gigs and jam sessions, and in all the dozens of recording studios I’ve visited, I’ve never once heard these terms used. Musicians don’t worry about inner detail—they’re concerned with intonation, timing, and tone, and only the very worst audio components are incapable of conveying those elements.

This may be why so few musicians bother with fancy audio systems. Of the countless musicians I know, one might qualify as an audiophile—if only because he took the trouble to check out head-fi.org before he bought his most recent set of headphones, the $220 Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX.

Around 1990, I was drawn to the passionate quest for better sound expressed in magazines like Hi-Fi Heretic and the old, digest-sized Stereophile. Back then, no one was really sure what good sound was. Speaker designs often contained all sorts of drivers pointed in bizarre directions, and hardly any headphones had sound you could call natural. At about that same time, though, controlled listening tests started to show us what matters in music reproduction (frequency response of speakers and headphones, mostly) and what doesn’t. Soon, it became simple and affordable to put together a stereo system with sound that’s probably as realistic as a set of transducers can deliver—and easily able to reveal, say, the decades of work that Joe Henderson put into his sound, or the thought that George Martin put into his EQ and reverb decisions.

But much of the audio industry has moved its focus well outside the now-simple task of reproducing music faithfully. Sure, we can get straightforward products like the AKG K371 headphones and the Triangle Borea BR03 speakers that are designed purely for the purpose of realistic music reproduction. This is the kind of audio gear I’ve found my musician friends tend to appreciate, mainly because these products tell them what they sound like to the rest of the world.

Audio shows rarely focus on such products now. In my opinion, the focus at shows, and in the high-end audio industry in general, has shifted away from the real-world demands of music reproduction, and more toward consumerism. Products that the industry got right decades ago—DACs, amplifiers, cables, etc.—are gussied up to meet higher price points by adding ornamentation or pumping up the resolution far beyond what any microphone could pick up, any human ear could detect, or any real-world listening environment could reveal. We see speakers increased to colossal sizes, with more drivers than you can count on one hand, and physical configurations that are less acoustically optimal than smaller, simpler designs. In some cases, it appears to me that the primary goal of these speaker designs is to give price-insensitive customers an opportunity to spend more—even though science shows us that the speakers that win in blind listening tests are usually well-engineered two-way or three-way designs.

Decades ago, Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound, conceived the notion of audiophiles as connoisseurs; he once described one of his critics as “someone who doesn’t know how to listen to music.” In Pearson’s heyday, when most speakers had extremely colored sound and few amps had the power to deliver realistic dynamics, he surely had a point. To this day, many audiophiles think of themselves as cultural elites who “know how to listen to music,” and whose considerable and ongoing expenditures on hi-fi gear show how much they care about music.

But this attitude no longer reflects today’s realities. When we have audiophiles proclaiming that they refuse to listen to streaming services, or to wireless speakers, or to whatever technology or brand has fallen out of favor among audio’s chattering class even though controlled testing has shown it to be nearly or entirely transparent, they’re expressing consumerist sentiment, not artistic concerns. They’re getting their daily dopamine hit not so much from music, but from ogling their purchases and dissing others who haven’t spent as much money on audio gear as they have. They’ve forgotten how to listen to music.

They’re like the guy who insists that the drive up California’s Pacific Coast Highway can only be properly appreciated in a Ferrari, or that you really don’t know what Rombauer chardonnay tastes like until you drink it from a $200 Baccarat crystal wine glass. These sentiments don’t reflect a love of scenic views or wine—they reflect only ego-driven consumerism.

To these audiophiles, I say—forget all the nonsense that the press, the internet, and the audio industry marketing machine has fed you, and just remember that music works. Sure, it’s fun and rewarding to pursue better music reproduction, but let’s not forget that music stirred the emotions of billions of people long before good audio systems existed. Music doesn’t need help from audio writers, internet commenters, or audio product designers who “know what music should sound like.” Those who let consumerism get in the way of enjoying one of humanity’s most satisfying creations are squandering their blessings. That’s what my bass tells me, anyway.

. . . Brent Butterworth
brentb@soundstagenetwork.com

Click HERE to view the original article.

Aug 29 Big Band Brunch at Vitello's Review by Terry Cole

Terry Cole Review

Pianist & Entertainer Terry Cole Review of Aug 29 Big Band Brunch at Vitello's

Yesterday, I spent a delightful afternoon at Vitello’s Upstairs among an enthusiastic audience for a unique hybrid sort of Big Band performance by “Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous8”.

They manage to do with eight pieces what a Big Band can usually only do with nearly twice that number.

Make no mistake, this is one serious band, featuring a few seasoned musicians of varying ages who bring the genre to life.

But this is not to undercut the work of the other fine musicians, who adapt to this style masterfully. Big Band isn’t just a sound; it’s an experience and these guys take you places. Standouts include Rocky Davis on piano and Musical Director, Sam Morgan on saxophone. He must be one of the youngest members of the band but this kid’s got this stuff in his bones!

And then there’s Angela herself, a veritable powerhouse of energy and talent. She’s got that Big Band voice that fits right in the pocket of the genre and she takes her rightful place alongside the best of them.

Angela’s guests included Kathryn Hopkins, who sang with a knowing slyness. She finds nuances in melody and phrasing, which are a signature style of hers.

Jackie Gibson followed with her full, rich voice, treating us to a Spanish version of “Perfidia”.

The real highlight, though, was when these three sang a version of “The Rose” in three-part harmony. How can something be sweet and breathtaking at the same time? Well, you’re just going to have to come to one of their shows and find out.

Not to be outdone, suave showman, Al Timss delighted the audience with his smooth take on “Walkiin’ My Baby Back Home”.

This show, devoted almost entirely to the music of Nat “King” Cole would have done him proud. Never underestimate the power of the strong-willed, the dedicated, and the enthusiastic, no matter what their age.

Big Band is alive and well in the capable hands of “Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous8”.

JAZZ AROUND TOWN Review by Scott Yanow

JAZZ AROUND TOWN
by Scott Yanow

ANGELA O’NEILL’S OUTRAGEOUS 8 AT FEINSTEIN’S AT VITELLO’S

16 months ago, Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous 8 were scheduled to perform at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s but then the pandemic shut everything down. Recently they made their triumphant comeback, playing a Saturday brunch at Vitello’s that was full of joyful spirits. I saw the LiveStream performance.

Singer Angela O’Neill led a group consisting of trumpeter-flugelhornist Paul Litteral, trombonist Harry Smallenburg (who contributed many of the arrangements), altoist Ron Cyger, tenor-saxophonist Sam Morgan, baritonist Richard Walker (doubling on flute), pianist-arranger Rocky Davis, bassist Phil Romo, and drummer Tony Pia. The Outrageous 8 opened by performing a Latin-flavored instrumental (“Samba For Sammy”) by the trombonist that effectively introduced the band. Then they welcomed their first of three guests as Kathryn Hopkins and Angela O’Neill harmonized together quite well on a version of “Sentimental Journey.”

The leader displayed her strong voice on “Summertime,” swung hard with the band on the Nat King Cole hit “L-O-V-E,” and put plenty of passion into “Come Rain Or Come Shine.” This trio of standards had some of the most enjoyable singing of the afternoon and served as a fine mini-set.

Next it was time for more of the guests. Kathryn Hopkins returned for a nice version of “Skylark,” Al Timss put plenty of personality into “I’m Going To Live Until I Die” and “Come Fly With Me,” and Jackie Gibson joined Timms as background singers behind the leader on “Hallelujah, I Love Him So.” Jackie Gibson also had a feature, taking “It Might As Well Be Spring” as a fast bossa.

Angela O’Neill closed the show with a heartfelt “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Your Face,” a soulful “When The Sun Goes Down,” more swinging on “Almost Like Being In Love,” and finally a folk/rock piece (“New York Minute”) that had a particularly inventive arrangement.

All in all it was a highly enjoyable and fun afternoon. Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous 8 will be back at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s with an entirely different show on Aug. 29.

LA Jazz Scene Review Angela O'Neill and the Outrageous8 Big Band Brunch at Vitello's

Chris J. Walker Big Band Brunch at Vitello’s

Angela O’Neill and The Outrageou8 performing both live and live-stream for HOPE FLOATS Big Band Brunch at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s was perfect for shifting a newly reopened weekend into high gear. Jazz orchestra innovators Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton, along with incomparable vocal icons Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles, along with the American Songbook influence the octet, formed in 2017 and based in Burbank.

Those are high standards to aim for, but vocalist/bandleader O’Neill with Paul Litteral-trumpet/flugelhorn, Harry Smallenburg-trombone/arranger, Ron Cyger-alto sax, Sam Morgan-tenor-saxophone, Richard Walker-baritone sax/flute, Rocky Davis-pianist/arranger, Phil Romo-bass and Tony Pia-drums, along with singers Al (The Duke of Smooth) Timms, Jackie Gibson and Kathryn Hopkins didn’t languish on technical aspects a lot. They instead focused on presenting an entertaining and lively show, and were ecstatic to be back performing for their fans and friends.

The bandleader vibrantly sang “Summertime” bolstered by a soaring trumpet solo and melodramatic brass choruses. Ballad “Come Rain or Come Shine” had the band down low and featured emotive singing for the interpretation. Additionally, the band showcased their cohesiveness and swung hard as O’Neill belted out “L-O-V-E,” “Hallelujah I Love (Him) So” with Hopkins and the band also doing the vocal chorus, and “Almost Like Being in Love.”

O’Neill and Hopkins sweetly fronted the group for easy-flowing classic “Sentimental Journey.” Later Hopkins returned on her own to pleasingly sing “Skylark” with the combo flourishing. Gibson cheerfully spiced up “It Might As Well Be Spring” with light Latin band flavoring. Timms hit the stage and rollicked with the musicians for “I’m Going to Live Till I Die,” claiming it was his new theme song, and also coolly sang “Come Fly With Me.”

Wrapping up the fast-paced show was non-standard, yet very fitting and superbly arranged “In a New York Minute” by Don Henley of the popular Eagles rock band. O’Neill introduced the song as a moment to honor all people who passed away from COVID-19 and tearfully mentioned a friend of the band. Angela O’Neill and The Outrageou8 will return to Feinstein’s at Vittello’s on August 29th. For more info go to: www.angelamaeoneill.com

Outrageous8 Records Take2 Album Review by Jazz Journalist & Historian Scott Yanow

Ron Cyger and Brent Butterworth
Take 2
Outrageous8 Records

Alto and soprano-saxophonist Ron Cyger and bassist-guitarist Brent Butterworth comprise Take 2, a jazz duo based in Southern California. Cyger has a degree in music from CSULA, has toured the Western US, Canada and Japan, and has worked with Angela O’Neill’s Outrageous 8 and the Green Street Jazz Quartet. Brent Butterworth, a recording engineer and reviewer of many audio products, plays bass, guitar and ukulele. While both Cyger and Butterworth contribute a bit of percussion on their Take 2 album, they also welcome guest percussionist Larry Salzman (who averages 275-300 recording sessions a year in many different styles of music) on three numbers.

The nine selections on this release (eight originals plus one famous pop song) feature Ron Cyger and Brent Butterworth in top form. They often utilize a bit of overdubbing so that they form a slightly larger group than a duo but their likable music is intimate and primarily features close interplay by the two musicians.

Cyger and Butterworth start off the program with the soul jazz groove of “Buddy’s Bounce” which has swinging guitar and alto solos along with Salzman’s prominent congas. “Waltz For Louie” utilizes a bassline that recalls “Take Five” a little and has a fine tradeoff between alto and bass. The 1950’s hit “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window” is given a light-hearted version with some cooking soprano playing by Cyger.

“Noir” has a mildly mysterious theme that could have worked well in a film noir. “Missy’s Mambo” has a heated soprano solo and some assertive guitar playing. One of the set’s catchier originals is the concise and swinging medium-tempo blues “Findango.” The fine program concludes with the sly “Chit Chat,” “Aprender” (which is based on “All The Things You Are”), and slow strut “The Sadie Shuffle.”

Take 2 is a fine introduction to the playing of Ron Cyger and Brent Butterworth.

 Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian

News from Angela O'Neill and Outrageous8 Records

It’s Tuesday June 29th and boy,is it an exciting time
for all the amazing artists and musicians associated with The Outrageous8 and Outrageous Records.

We still really need your donations and support …as we continue creating our “in house” projects…. Namely : The Outrageous8 just completed recording our new record LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL..The other project that came to be during the shut down..Alto player from Da Boyz , Ron Cyger and his band mate .Brent Butterworth... just completed the Mastering process on their project,

I’m addition, Paul Litteral, trumpet player for The 8. Is in process to begin his solo album and our very own Kathryn Hopkins , marketing manager for the 8, and I are putting together a SUPER fun but still secret project.

I was saying today , how thankful I am for our musical family that we survived the pandemic.. with weekly zooms and remote projects .. keeping the music going …and for the folks who support and appreciate the music we make … we send you much love and gratitude .

Angela

Outrageous8 Records Update

Angela O’Neill and Outrageous8 Records are excited to announce that production for Paul Litteral’s solo album titled Legacy, has begun this week! This week, on Monday June 12th the very first tracks were laid down. Mark that day in your diaries as a special day. And let the fun begin!

If you don’t know Paul already, he is a very talented Trumpet player and we are lucky to have him play in the Outrageous8 band. Paul has had an extensive career playing and recording with many A listers around the world.

Legacy, the name of the album is Paul’s very first solo album, is being produced by Bill Bodine and Angela O’Neill with engineer Billy (and supervisor Ellie we like to say). The recording process has officially kicked off and is set to take a few months to complete…. and we are all really looking forward to it.

With a target date of late fall, LEGACY is a long time coming, since Paul has played on tracks for many major pop .. rock , blues jazz.. mega stars during the course of his career. Now it’s his time to shine!

If you’d like to make a donation to Paul’s solo album project, all donations are accepted big or small.

Click HERE to make a donation.

We’ll post more reports as we have more exciting news !!

If you haven’t already, please drop by to his Facebook page Paul Litteral Music and press LIKE.

Weekly News from Angela O'Neill #102

Hey All:

It's been a busy week for the Outrageous8 and especially Outrageous8 records.

PLEASE FOLLOW us on inta! .@Paullitteralmusic and @Take 2_band. and @outrageous8records...

Thanks to Promo Wizard Kathryn Hopkins Paul Litteral, Take 2 and Outrageous Records are now officially on social media across Facebook and Insta! And Band Swag is now available at our stores on Facebook and Insta! If you haven't gotten your super cute black Outrageous8 baseball cap yet, it's easier than ever to get a cap or T shirt! Thank you Kathryn!

A fun Zoom with the band on Saturday revealed that our soon to be released single is chugging along. Michael Rosen, our our mixing and mastering alchemist, has gotten recordings from almost every member of the band now and will very likely mix an incredible stand alone single that we will shoot for releasing the last week of May.

Also in the works, a streaming show for those folks who were not able to make it to our MARCH MADNESS Birthday Bash show at the Outrageous8 HQ Cul De Sac. That will be coming on in the next couple of weeks

In general, it seems like there is such a positive and optimistic vibe right now. I just think to a year ago and I am so grateful that our health care and front line workers are all vaccinated and things are getting better, day by day.

Had a phone meeting with Vitello’s last night and very excited to be putting together our show on July 10th It's so much fun to do a middle of the day show, A BIG BAND BRUNCH...,,sounds like so much fun to me! Click the link below to get tickets, now on sale!

Don’t forget to please follow us on social media!

Have a great week everyone...

xoxoxo
Angela