Tune in to Tonic Sol-fa!

The wildly popular a cappella group, Tonic Sol-fa, performs at the Ives Auditorium on Sunday, May 19, 2019 at 3:00 pm Here are some things you should know about this talented group:

The Group Name

Anyone who knows a little bit about music (or has watched The Sound of Music) knows that Sol and Fa are two of the notes on the voiced syllable scale used to teach beginning singers the relative pitches in a scale. As a composite, tonic sol-fa is a method of teaching the scale invented in England by Sarah Ann Glover (1785-1867) whereby every note is learned in relationship to other notes. In this system, “do” is not a fixed note, but the foundation note of a chord in any key.

“We never claimed to have a cool band name,” states Tonic Sol-fa. “We did realize too late that Tonic Sol-fa was a difficult name to remember and needs regular explanation.” At the same time, because the name generated so much interest from interviewers, it actually improved the band’s name recognition. Now that they have a steady following and legions of fans, Tonic Sol-fa is just a group name like any other.

Rules of A Cappella

When a group sings a cappella that just means that they are using their voices as the only pitched instruments. There is not any accompaniment from piano or guitar or any other non-human instrument; it’s pure singing. Tonic Sol-fa’s style of a cappella uses mainly vocal percussion and sometimes light additions to that such as a tambourine or shakers.

The band also points out that being in an a cappella group has some distinct advantages. For instance:

• Group members don’t have to be able to play an instrument (though some of them do)
• Set up and travel is pretty easy relative to other groups since they don’t need to bring along heavy instruments or lots of chairs.
• Tuning four singers is much easier than tuning a group of instruments.

The Group Members

Started humbly in 2000 at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, the group has changed some over the years. Iowa native Shaun Johnson, the group’s lead singer, is the only original member of the group. Because he describes himself as a person who never takes “no” for an answer and has the “ability to never stop,” Shaun also has branched out to found Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience. He works his new band dates around Tonic Sol-fa’s schedule.

Jared Dove, who hails from Green River, Wyoming, provides the foundation for the group as the bass. As he likes to boast, “I can sing lower than the other guys.” He also serves as the calm and collected force in the group, thus balancing out some of the silliness exhibited by his band mates. His “defining quote:” “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Away from the band, he engages in “normal extracurricular activities” with his family.

Originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Greg Bannwarth sings tenor and provides vocal percussion for the group. He also instigates some of the hijinks on stage and in their videos. As he sums it up, “I love singing, arranging, songwriting and being a goofball on stage.”

Theo Brown, who joined Tonic Sol-fa about two years ago, was born in Los Angeles but raised in St. Paul. The only son of two professional musicians, Theo sings, plays piano, and plays percussion. With Tonic Sol-fa he is vocal percussionist and singer. With Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience, he also contributes on the keyboard.

Though there are obvious similarities between the group members—a past that includes music and typically musical theatre—they’ve each arrived through a different path. It’s the love of music that holds them together and keeps them going.

What’s New

Tonic Sol-fa spends a lot of time on the road, but found time last year to complete a 5-song EP titled 30k  that was submitted for Grammy consideration. The submission did not move forward in the process, but it did raise some visibility.

Due to an overall drop in CD sales across the music industry in recent years, Tonic Sol-fa has been focusing on releasing individual songs more frequently and using social media (including those fun videos) to promote their music. To help fund their music, the group just launched a Patreon page where they invite fans to become subscribers. They also earn money from concert appearances, so have been traveling a lot this year!

Performing

“A Tonic Sol-fa performance,” they assert, “is a combination of music and entertainment.” The group performs both original songs and covers that span the genres of gospel, country, rock, pop, and jazz. The guys also like to interact with the audience and make them part of the show.

Performing, they say, is also its own reward. It might not be the same for every member of the group on any given day, but as Jared puts it, “there is a satisfaction to belonging to a band with such a wide appeal…from kids to grandparents, and everyone in-between.”

Purchase your tickets for Tonic Sol-fa’s May 19 performance here.