ASHTON TWITS 22 AGAIN! :)

Thanks go once again to Ashton Kutcher, who twittered again about our favorite fifth graders just about an hour ago!! This time, he links to our rendition of "Landslide," and goes on to say,

"Maybe my favorite choir in the world"

AWWWWWWWESOME!!!

Billboard Top 100!!! Wuhhhhh?????

I'm finding it really hard to digest the fact that the PS22 Chorus is singing on an album that is currently on The Billboard Top 100 Album Charts, but as of this week, it is indeed another accomplishment for the kids!!! Congratulations to the boys of Passion Pit for their uncanny success on their full-length CD debut, Manners, which reached to a #51 spot in its first week on the charts! This places Manners higher than some new albums by established rock legends such as U2 and Prince!!

So yeah, congratulations to the band, but serious props as well to the chorus! BILLBOARD!! How many kids your age can say they've sung on an album that made the Billboard charts?? (Can you tell I'm a little proud, kids?!) And I have a feeling the Passion Pit world-domination has only just begun! VERY exciting stuff!

Above is a screencap of a great interview I came across from The Tape, a very cool music blog, in which the band is asked about the kids' involvement in the record. They're response was awesome! The full interview is available online.

The Chorus Has FLAVOR!

This is a song called "Flavor" off of Tori Amos's fantastic new album, which came out only last week! I'm very proud of how quickly and how beautifully the kids learned the song, and Maya and Samantha together on the duet add the perfect touch! Another great job kiddos, I'm loving this one....

Stevie IS Happy! And We're ECSTATIC!!

Just got word from Stevie Nicks tour manager that she was completely blown away by the PS22 Chorus rendition of her song "Landslide!" He said she asked him to replay 2 times afterwards, crying each time she watched! Talk about humbling....

Singing With Passion.........Pit.

Lately, Passion Pit has been showing up a lot on the blog! That's because we are very excited about the brilliant response the group's debut album, Manners, has been getting from both critics and fans alike! In February, Fader Magazine posted a video of our time in the studio recording supporting vocals for the album. We loved Fader's footage, and now we present ours, courtesy of Miss Lisa. This really gives insight into what a really amazing person lead singer and songwriter Michael Angelakos is. Below is the video footage. For pictures and a thorough write-up of the day click here.


Clip 1 of 7:

1) The kids meet Michael Angelakos who notes the Passion Pit/PS22 Chorus combo is "a perfect pairing"
2) Michael gives us direction
3) Giuseppe gets fired....
4) The chorus make donations to Passion Pit..... while recording.
5) The kids let their love grow tall.
6) Screamfest on The Reeling!

Clip 2 of 7:

Michael Angelakos cheers up Eric. What a cool guy! Mike definitely has an alternate career to fall back on..... not that it's looking like he'll need one any time soon!

Clip 3 of 7:

1) The kids are at first a little taken aback by my passing the reigns to Michael for this song. I found that kind of sweet actually..... They got over it quick, once they realized they were in excellent hands!

2) Vocal calisthenics with Michael Angelakos!

3) A million degrees in the studio, and the kids are THIRSTY!

4) Mr. B gets a brilliant idea.....

5) Mrs. Johnson gums up the works.

Clip 4 of 7:

Are YOU smarter than a fifth grader? Elijah astounds both Michael AND his music teacher with his highly impressive movie trivia skillz. Another example of just how cultured the kids in the PS22 Chorus really are! :)

Clip 5 of 7:

1) An awesome thank you to the chorus from Michael Angelakos for their help in making his vision complete. It was a really special moment.

2) The studio is a bit... ripe....

3) Michael hangs with the kids, who learn he's most definitely NOT from Smelly-ville NJ. Although they may have wanted to consider giving that name to Gigantic Sudios after we left......

Clip 6 of 7:

1) A little bit of an acoustic version of "Little Secrets"

2) Goodbyes....

Clip 7 of 7:

Michael Angelakos and the chorus do a spontaneous acoustic version of their breakout hit, "Sleepyhead" just for fun!

FOUR MILLION!!!

You DO that happy dance, chorus! It's well-deserved!! Congratulations to the kids on receiving what is now well over 4 million internet viewings of PS22 Chorus videos!!

Request Your Perez-ence!

Once again, big thanks to Perez Hilton for posting another one of our videos -- this time, "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, a special request of his. Right now, it's the second most e-mailed posting on his blog, as you can see at the bottom of the screencap. As his post title says, we do hope Stevie Nicks, the singer/songwriter responsible for this incredibly beautiful and timeless song, will indeed be happy!

Watch the video below, or see both of the kids' versions of the song here.

Already the video has garnered its share of YouTube honors (including the #2 most watched music video today, and the #10 overall most watched video today!!), which you can see below. I will update them until they peak.

Thanks to Perez for this great song request, and for his friendship and continued support.

YaHOOOO!

We're on the front page right now!! Check it out quick while it's still up! We're currently the most popular YAHOO video! Above is a screencap just in case you don't read this in time....

Yahoo Main Page

It's A LANDSLIDE!

This is a dedication to our friend Perez Hilton, who made this request after he posted our version of "Eye Of The Tiger," and is still the biggest factor in helping give our kids some experiences and memories they'll never forget! We hope "Landslide" does him proud! We think it will.... (I'm sure proud... the kids should be too!!)

Acoustic guitar version


A capella version

Thank Q!

Enjoy! Congrats to Bahira and the chorus for more great international exposure! This CBC radio broadcast of the show, Q, was heard all over North America today! The PS22 Chorus segment can be heard below. However the entire podcast can be heard and downloaded on their blog. Just click on the podcast for Tuesday, May 19th.

Raving about Passion Pit!

As reported earlier, Passion Pit's new album Manners has officially arrived today, May 19th in the United States! Already, it has garnered some amazing reviews from fans and critics alike! Just came upon this amazing review/interview from Australia's very popular Rave Magazine. The reviewer AND Passion Pit's drummer Nate Donmoyer (who was at the studio when we recorded), had some incredible things to say about the kids participation on the record....

Here is the excerpt from the article that ought to make the PS22 Chorus very proud to read (It certainly made their DIRECTOR proud!):

Three songs on the album, including the glorious Little Secrets and The Reeling, feature the efforts of Staten Island’s PS22 Children’s Chorus, an elementary school choir noted for renditions of Crowded House and Tori Amos songs adored by their original composers. Donmoyer explains how they came to be involved.

"Michael’s idea was like, if we’re gonna take the leap to a major, we might as well wring it for all it’s worth and do all these crazy things, ‘cause who knows if we’ll get to do another one. At least we can say we got to do that once."

And as for the experience itself…

"It was amazing, like, humbling, to see these 56 kids come in… The director Gregg [Breinberg] is this amazing guy who figured out a way to explain and conduct these harmonies to really young kids. They broke out into something like a Keane a capella cover, and the arrangement was so much better than the original (laughs). We were soundchecking them and the levels were fine, but we just let ‘em go ‘cause it was so beautiful. They finished the entire song and everyone’s just staring at them, teary-eyed with their mouths hanging open, thinking, ‘what have we gotten into?’ Yeah, they were awesome."

Congrats to the chorus and, of course, to our friends Passion Pit! You can see the entire article (slightly edited for kid-friendliness) below.

PS22 Chorus on the CBC tomorrow!

NEWS UPDATE:

Recently CBC, the national public radio of Canada (similar to NPR here in the U.S.), contacted me trying to get an interview regarding the PS22 Chorus's recent string of incredible accomplishments on their very popular Arts & Entertainment show, Q! Tomorrow, May 19th, chorus member Bahira and I will be on the CBC (Radio One) talking about the chorus at about 10:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time.)

The show is broadcast all over North America on Sirius XM 137! So don't miss it! They will be airing some of the kids' music as well, so should definitely be worth catching a listen!

The 411 On 22!

Just in case you missed it Friday night, here is the segment on the PS22 Chorus as seen on HOLLYWOOD 411 which airs on the TV Guide Channel!

AND EXCITING NEWS! The Hollywood 411 producers were so thrilled with all the great footage they got of the kids, they are going to run a part two of our story when the show comes back from hiatus in 2 weeks!! Woohoo!!

Hear Some Little Secrets!

Our friends Passion Pit are having a remix contest for their upcoming single, "Little Secrets", which features the PS22 Chorus on the background vocals! Above is my own little remix which I did for fun.... It's the Mr. Bemix of Little Secrets!. (Rhymes too.)

Some of the winners of the contest will have their remixes included on the official Little Secrets single when it arrives! Exciting stuff!

Also exciting was to see that in its latest issue, Rolling Stone gave the debut album from Passion Pit, Manners, a four star review! (See above pic. Full review is still available on the newsstands.) FOUR STARS from Rolling Stone!! That's so crazy! Some quotes from the review include, "a bona fide dance music phenomenon" and "a shiny bouquet of synth-pop roses." They mention our involvement as well! "There are horns, a string section, even an elementary school chorus...." So amazingly cool!!

Teen Kids News!

Despite the fact that the majority of the kids in the chorus are 10 or 11, on Friday, we got a visit from TEEN KIDS NEWS, a program that airs nationally in the United States on a major network! (On Fox 5 9:30 AM on Saturdays here in the tri-state area.)

After extensive interviews with me and the kids, the crew filmed the chorus doing their thing -- practicing and performing. The kids were in top form, and our guests were equal parts professional and cool! The segment on the chorus will air in the fall, so that's great to have to look forward to during slow-posting season, while the chorus of 2010 will be preparing for their public debut!

HOLLYWOOD 411

Today the kids got a visit from the TV Guide Network, who filmed a segment on the kids for Friday's upcoming Hollywood 411 episode! Host Maria Sansone showed up in our auditorium this afternoon, and lit up the auditorium with her smiles and enthusiasm for the PS22 Chorus! She was incredibly gracious and obviously inspired by the kids! Producer Adrienne, videographer Joe, and audio expert Carmelo were completely cool as well. Safe to say everybody left smiling big!

The kids will be featured on the TV Guide Network show HOLLYWOOD 411 this upcoming Friday, so set those TIVOs and VCRs!!

Watch the video below as we have some fun turning the tables on the host, and start asking her the questions! We thank Maria for being such a great sport and for her extremely generous praises. You inspired us just the same, believe me.

Below are some more pics from our great afternoon with Hollywood 411!

The Tiger Is Still On The Prowl!

More congrats to the chorus and to Jared for their unavoidable rendition of "Eye Of The Tiger," which is currently being featured on the main page of msn.com! Thanks to Jared's mom for the tip off (and for Jared too!)

A-Coop-stic!

Check out this amazing acoustic performance of Cooper Boone's "One Song", which the chorus performed with Coop at The DKMS Gala last Thursday! (Make sure you watch the video of that performance, as you'll see the kids hangin' with megasuperstar Rihanna.) The performance here was spontaneously recorded in one take, and I, for one, think this version is even better! Compare and contrast below!

Cooper Boone is coming out with a new album coming soon, and we wish him all the success in the world! He certainly deserves it....

Below are some more pics from our afternoon with Cooper

Bonnie Hunt's Message To The PS22 Chorus

The HOFF is a Fan Too!

Add David Hasselhoff to the ever-growing list of celebrity fans of the chorus! On his blog, he is quoted as saying,

"What a great example of how one man can make a difference their teacher is. He has really inspired these kids and they are so talented.... And if they ever want to sing with me, just let me know and I'll be there..."

NICE!!! Thanks to David for the kind words about me and the kids!

Gold Dust

Our newest Tori Amos cover, "Gold Dust", performed so beautifully by The PS22 Chorus. Then of course leave it to Justin & Josh to completely ruin the atmosphere with an evil rap.... Evil.

RIHANNA-MATION at DKMS!

After meeting Rihanna and Chelsea Clinton on Thursday night, the chorus certainly learned first-hand that when you give, it always come back to you. The kids generously donated their time and talent to perform at a fundraiser for DKMS, an organization dedicated to helping find bone marrow donors for those in need. They sang with rising star Cooper Boone on "One Song", a song he wrote for the organization, and it was an inspired collaboration, to say the very least!

Cooper is definitely an amazing person aside from being an amazing talent! He generously shared the spotlight with the chorus, and it was a definite showstopper! The performance was a definitive highlight of the fundraiser, which took place at Cipriani's on 42nd Street in New York City. It was indeed a star-studded gala which (aside from Rihanna and Chelsea Clinton) included the likes of Kylie Minogue, Vera Wang, Rachel Zoe, Betsey Johnson, Sarah Connor, Mario Cantone, and many more coming out to support the cause. It was a dream come true getting to sing for such a prestigious audience and the chorus sounded fantastic!

After the performance, Rihanna and Chelsea Clinton were inspired enough to come over to say hello and congratulate the kids, who were just a bit excited.... YEAH RIGHT!! I would venture to say that the kids are still doing their little happy dance that you see at the end of the video posted above!

It was an unforgettable night, and we were honored to be a part of the festivities, and to do our part for this worthy cause! See some more pics below....

On stage with Cooper at dress rehearsal

In the Green Room with Ms. Lisa

Chelsea Clinton's place setting

The chorus channels its inner-celebrity!

Josh looking like he's gone to heaven

Catch A Preview Of Today's BONNIE HUNT SHOW episode featuring The PS22 Chorus!

Click here to see Mr. B telling the audience to be quiet. (That's one way to win over a crowd...(?))

The HUNT Is On!!

Yes, the rumors are true! The PS22 Chorus is going to be featured this Thursday on The Bonnie Hunt Show!! I know many were disappointed, thinking they missed the episode, when they read in the Staten Island Advance article (see previous post) that the show had already aired. Thankfully, that was a slight mistake. So you still have plenty of time to set your Tivos, VCR's, and DVR's!

To clear up the confusion, I will be flying out to Los Angeles on Monday, to film the show on Tuesday. The show will air on Thursday, May 7th -- check your local listings. (Channel 4 NBC 2:00 PM in the Tri-state area.) Very exciting!!!

More "Good Day"

Yesterday, we posted footage from Friday's Fox 5's Good Day New York broadcast, which featured several segments with the PS22 Chorus. Below, check out some more footage taken by our beloved Miss Lisa that includes some other awesome moments unseen on the actual broadcast. Highlights include the irrelevant traffic report, the extraordinary singing (of course), and meteorologist Mike Woods doing morning announcements for the school! Fun stuff....

And to save you a 'click,' here is the actual broadcast footage if you missed it when it was previously posted.

Below are some more pics from our memorable morning with Mike Woods and Good Day New York. Enjoy!