Vocal Arts

Is Olivia Rodrigo Worth the Hype?

Over the course of an hour, professional singer Peter Barber breaks down Olivia Rodrigo's performance for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, and analyzes just what makes her so brilliant. Stay until the end to learn more than you ever thought possible about Olivia's vocal techniques, songwriting, and all the rest. So, is Olivia Rodrigo worth the hype? I'll let you decide.

Peter Barber is a professional singer, music producer, YouTuber, and member of The Bass Gang.

Eric Hollaway: That Bass Voice

Meet Eric Hollaway, the man with a voice as deep as the ocean and as versatile as the wind. Known globally as "thatbassvoice," Eric boasts a rare 5-octave range, enchanting over 2 million followers on social media with his captivating vocals. A prodigy who began singing at 5, Eric's voice has graced numerous viral hits, including the Viking anthem "Valhalla Calling" by Miracle Of Sound and Hans Zimmer's 'Hoist The Colors' from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. His unique "bassharmony" technique, seamlessly blending deep tones into any melody, has become his signature. You'll recognize his stirring vocals in the soundtracks of "Doom Eternal" and "Runescape3." Beyond music, Eric is a highly sought-after voice actor, lending his distinctive timbre to thousands of projects, notably for Fableticsmen and Manscaped. Experience the depth and range of "thatbassvoice" - where every note tells a story.

Peter and Eric chat about being bass singers in the modern music world, the rise of the bass voice in popularity, Eric's work as the voice for "Doom" and other voice actings jobs, going viral on social media, philosophies behind music, how Eric's voice has changed over the years, upcoming collaborations, and much more. Please welcome Eric Hollaway.

Analysis Essentials Series: So Hyang | "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

Welcome back to the Analysis Essentials Series -- this episode comes from my first time ever hearing So Hyang, a voice that continues to boggle my mind. Her emotional connection, her power belting, her riffing -- all of it. Please enjoy this breakdown.

Tomi P: The Uncrowned King of Modern Acapella

Tomi P is a bass singer from the Czech Republic, widely known for his musical talent as a vocal arranger and acapella music producer. Many that are familiar with his work consider him to be among the founding fathers of modern acapella, given that he's been making high-quality vocal arrangements for nearly a decade. Tomi is a founding member of The Bass Gang, and currently sings as the bass for renowned Czech acapella group, Shot-C. He has garnered tens of millions of views across platforms for his music, and tens of millions more for his work with The Bass Gang. 

Peter and Tomi discuss the future of The Bass Gang and Shot-C, dealing with creative burnout, music as a career vs. hobby, upcoming projects, and Tomi answers many questions from the Patreon community. Please welcome Tomi P!

Analysis Essentials Series: Pentatonix | "The Sound of Silence"

One of the first analysis videos Peter ever made was for this iconic cover from Pentatonix. Peter goes into detail about the musical arrangement, vocal technique, blending of voices, belting, vocal registration, and more. Please enjoy this breakdown of "The Sound of "Silence" as part of the Analysis Essentials Series.

Elliott Michael Robinson: Endless Bass

Elliott Michael Robinson is a seasoned veteran of the contemporary a cappella community currently residing in Dallas, Texas. Though most known for his insane low notes and nearly five-octave vocal range, the Illinois native is also an award-winning songwriter, arranger, and vocal educator. (And attorney, but who's counting?)

 

Throughout the years, he's performed with countless vocal groups--InPulse, Home Free, Re: Voiced, Chapter 6, Street Corner Symphony, The House Jacks, AXIOM, and more--as well as recording background vocals for projects spanning just about every genre you can think of. Oh yeah, and he also sang all the low bass vocals for Das Sound Machine in Pitch Perfect 2. (Remember them? The group that definitely would've won in real life...) 

 

These days, you can find Elliott doing regular corporate things, being a proud and relatively new Girl Dad, deadlifting with your entire family on the bar, grabbing barbecue somewhere, and/or contributing his multifaceted bass skills to collaborative online projects with artists from all over the globe. 

 

Peter and Elliott discuss life as professional musicians, vocal range, how voices change and develop overtime, advice for young bass singers, fitness, work/life balance, collaborative projects, career goals, and much more. Please welcome Elliott Michael Robinson. 

Eric Whitacre: Musical Genius

Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre, is among today’s most popular musicians. His works are programmed worldwide and his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united over 100,000 singers from more than 145 countries. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Eric is currently Visiting Composer at Pembroke College, Cambridge University (UK) and is an Ambassador for the Royal College of Music (London). Eric served two terms as Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and is proud to be a Yamaha Artist. His long-term relationship with Universal/Decca Classics has produced several ‘hit’ albums. Recent compositions include a long-form work - The Sacred Veil - and an orchestral piece - Prelude in C - commissioned by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. His collaboration with Spitfire Audio has resulted in two trail-blazing vocal sample libraries which are used by composers the world-over.

Peter and Eric discuss Eric's Grammy Award-winning compositions, electronic music, philosophies on creating art, the relationship between music, conductor, and ensemble, and many more topics. Please welcome Eric Whitacre.

Bobby Bass: Hoist the Colours

Bobby "Bass" Waters is a bass singer, music creator, and core member of three musical groups: The Bass Gang, The Wellermen, and Pitch Slapped. Across platforms, Bobby boasts a following of over 2 million people, and his videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has collaborated with many of the biggest names in the short-form content space, like Lauren Paley, MALINA, Vinny, Luke Taylor, Peyton Parrish, and more. Bobby has even been featured in an Apple commercial for his amazing bass voice. 

Peter and Bobby talk about the meteoric rise of "Hoist the Colours," how to create success as a musical artist, the financial viability of various platforms, the evolution of The Bass Gang, upcoming projects, and much more. Please welcome Bobby Bass.

Alex Seaver (aka Mako): The Music of Arcane

Composer, songwriter, and producer Alex Seaver (aka Mako) has created a unique niche for himself in the entertainment industry. He has released two best-selling albums; performed at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and EDC; and collaborated with the likes of Sting, Pusha-T, Avicii, Madison Beer, and Alan Walker.

A classically-trained musician, Seaver earned a full scholarship to Juilliard. Upon graduation, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film music. Alex has established himself as a songwriter and composer for Riot Games’ League of Legends, beginning in 2017. His first track, “Legends Never Die” (performed by Against the Current), has earned over 400 million streams on Spotify alone, while his role expanded with Netflix’s League of Legends-based animated series, Arcane (2021). In addition to scoring the hit show with Alexander Temple, Alex co-wrote songs for the soundtrack, alongside Pusha-T, Sting, Wooded, Bea Miller, PVRIS, and others. Please welcome Alex Seaver.

Luke Taylor: Luke the Voice

Luke Taylor is a bass singer from Thornton, Pennsylvania who is pursuing a songwriting career in folk and western genres. He has amassed a following of over 4 million people on TikTok from his bass singing videos, as well as performed on American Idol -- he is known throughout the world for his deep, rich voice. Luke is also a member of The Wellermen, and is studying voice at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. 

Peter and Luke chat about bass singing, going viral on social media, vocal technique, career goals, getting recognized in public, philosophies on life, and much more. Please welcome Luke Taylor.